


Friendship Training with Phichit

by krazieLeylines



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Asexual Yuri Plisetsky, Canon Compliant, Chatlogs, Demiromantic Phichit Chulanont, Demisexual Katsuki Yuuri, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Polyamory, Romantic Drama, Viktor and Yuuri are Yurio's Protection Squad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9112546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krazieLeylines/pseuds/krazieLeylines
Summary: "The apartment was well-insulated against the brutal St Petersburg weather, so much so that Yuuri could hardly hear the wind howling outside. It was doubly warm under Viktor’s quilted comforter. So how was it, Yuuri thought to himself, that he still struggled to fall asleep?"In which Yuuri Katsuki lives in St Petersburg with Viktor, and has a difficult time fitting in with his new rinkmates, so Phichit takes Yuuri under his wing and teaches him how to make friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I relate to Yuuri so strongly that I knew I had to write a fic about him. Unfortunately, there isn't much canonical information about the other skaters (Leo de la Iglesia, especially), so I hesitated writing this for a few days. I'm so used to writing for homestuck, where you know everything there is to know about all of the characters. Yuri!!! On Ice, meanwhile...
> 
> On one hand, it's daunting, but on the other, it's thrilling, because I get to fill in the blanks, so to speak. I can't wait for Mila to come into play, since I like her character a lot and I can't wait to flesh it out.

The apartment was well-insulated against the brutal St Petersburg weather, so much so that Yuuri could hardly hear the wind howling outside. It was doubly warm under Viktor’s quilted comforter. So how was it, Yuuri thought to himself, that he still struggled to fall asleep? It had been almost a month since he had moved in with Viktor, and yet the apartment still felt foreign and strange.

Speaking of his coach/fiancé… Viktor was snoring softly into Yuuri’s ear, head nestled on his shoulder. Makkachin was curled up at the foot of the bed, pinning Yuuri’s legs down. Yuuri suspected he was beginning to lose sensation in his toes. Which really would be a nice change of pace, now that he thought about it; his feet were still sore from the grueling training regimen Viktor was putting him through. (Yuuri had put on a little pudge during the holidays, and he was still trying to burn it off.)

And it wasn’t as if Yuuri wasn’t exhausted at the end of each day. But somehow, as soon as Yuuri got himself comfortable in Viktor’s bed, suddenly he was wide awake. It was turning into a real problem.

The only upside was that Yuuri got to pet Viktor’s hair as much as he wanted to. Usually, skating legend Viktor Nikiforov was embarrassingly self-conscious about his hair. (And this was coming from Yuuri, who was self-conscious about every inch of his body.) Viktor’s hair was just so soft and silky, though, and Yuuri loved to run his fingers through it.

Sometimes, the respective movement of stroking Viktor’s head was enough to put Yuuri to sleep. But even that little trick wasn’t working out for him tonight.

Yuuri didn’t understand it. He was used to sleeping in hotel beds, and Viktor’s bed was far more comfy than those tended to be. And while it did take him some time to get used to Viktor’s sleep snuggle death grip, that no longer bothered him. He found himself wishing he could sneak to the Ice Castle. Skating by himself always seemed to help, even when he didn’t know what his problem was.

The ice rink where Viktor and he used was always crowded. Yurio, Georgi, and Mila also trained there. For an introvert such as Yuuri, it got a tad unbearable at times.

Well, it didn’t look as though sleep was happening anytime soon. Yuuri decided to just give up and scroll through his Instagram. He fumbled around the nightstand, feeling around for his phone. He pressed the home button, and immediately regretted it. The blaring light blinded him temporarily. Yuuri scrambled to turn the brightness down, and then glanced at Viktor.

Viktor made a soft sighing sound, but otherwise didn’t stir from his slumber. Yuuri let out a quiet breath of relief.

Instagram was opened, and Yuuri began to scroll through his feed. He mostly followed other skaters, though he did occasionally seek out people who posted a lot of pictures of poodles. Most of the photos were from Yurio; it wasn’t unusual for him to stay up late, to Yakov’s never-ending chagrin. 

Oh, a selfie from Phichit! It must have been early morning in Bangkok. Phichit was posing at the table with his breakfast. The caption simply read: _Too early (-_-) zzz_

Yuuri liked it without much thought. Not a minute later, his phone buzzed.

It was a message from Phichit. Yuuri prepared himself for Phichit’s well-meaning fussing, and opened his instant messaging app.

 _phichitchu_ : yuuri! ヽ(^o^)丿  
 _phichitchu_ : its been a while  
 _phichitchu_ : what are you doing up?  
 _phichitchu_ : it must be ridiculously late there

Yuuri bit his lip. Phichit may have been his closest friend, but Yuuri really didn’t want to discuss his problems… especially since he didn’t fully understand them himself. 

_katsukiyuu_ : hey Phichit  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, I’ve been having a hard time staying asleep tonight  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and sorry, I’ve been busy;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’d say Viktor is working me like a dog, but  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he’d never treat Makkachin like this  
 _phichitchu_ : isnt viktor supposed to be training too?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, but he multi-tasks（￣□￣；）  
 _phichitchu_ : lmao  
 _phichitchu_ : oh this is random but  
 _phichitchu_ : i was thinking  
 _phichitchu_ : we need to get you active on sns  
 _phichitchu_ : so we can keep in touch even when youre busy  
 _katsukiyuu_ : wait, like what?  
 _phichitchu_ : well instagram for starters  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I have an Instagram!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I follow you!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you only knew I was awake because I liked one of your photos!  
 _phichitchu_ : having an instagram isnt the same as being active on it  
 _phichitchu_ : tell me  
 _phichitchu_ : when is the last time you actually posted something?

That was… a good question. Yuuri switched to his Instagram to check.

 _katsukiyuu_ : three days ago  
 _katsukiyuu_ : that’s not too bad  
 _phichitchu_ : (；一_一)  
 _phichitchu_ : its not all that great either   
_phichitchu_ : im just worried about you yuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : because I’m not on Instagram regularly?;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : (-_-;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : stop it with the sad emoticon faces!  
 _phichitchu_ : remember when we were roommates  
 _phichitchu_ : and i had to always be the one to drag you out to socialize  
 _phichitchu_ : because otherwise youd spend all day and night either in your room or out on the ice rink?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I certainly haven’t forgotten;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : im just worried that youre reverting back to your hermit ways  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m not a hermit (*￣m￣)  
 _phichitchu_ : so youre making friends in russia?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : what are you?? my mom???  
 _phichitchu_ : no just your best friend  
 _phichitchu_ : so are you?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ………………  
 _katsukiyuu_ : my Russian isn’t exactly… perfect yet…  
 _phichitchu_ : what about the other skaters? the other yuri? georgi?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (・_・;)  
 _phichitchu_ : now look at whos using sad emoticons!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : they all already know each other and have inside jokes and such…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it seems rude to intrude on their conversations;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : (^_^;)  
 _phichitchu_ : oh yuuri…  
 _phichitchu_ : tell you what!  
 _phichitchu_ : lets set up a group chat so you can practice making friends  
 _katsukiyuu_ : what!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : no way, that’s ridiculous!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t need to “practice” making friends  
 _katsukiyuu_ : besides, I’m way too busy with my training these days  
 _phichitchu_ : training with viktor?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : well, yeah, he’s my coach  
 _phichitchu_ : and what do you do when you arent training?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : uhh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : idk some chores or hanging around the apartment  
 _phichitchu_ : with viktor?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yes, with Viktor! what are you getting at?  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri im just as happy as you are that youre living with and engaged to the man of your dreams  
 _phichitchu_ : but its important to have a life outside your significant other  
 _phichitchu_ : i mean  
 _phichitchu_ : if you spend every waking moment together  
 _phichitchu_ : wont you eventually run out of things to talk about?  
 _katsukiyuu_ :（ ﾟ Дﾟ）!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : are you saying you think Viktor will get bored of me?  
 _phichitchu_ : of course not!!  
 _phichitchu_ : you know i didnt mean it like that yuuri  
 _phichitchu_ : im sorry  
 _phichitchu_ : maybe im being a little too nosy  
 _phichitchu_ : forgive me m(_ _)m  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ……………  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s alright, you kind of made a good point  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I think I’ve been kind of homesick lately  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and it sucks that I have to rely on Viktor for translations all the time;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : maybe it would be a good idea to make some friends here…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but I feel like such an outsider!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (:_;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t know what to do  
 _katsukiyuu_ : maybe I do need practice making friends…  
 _phichitchu_ : (/◕ヮ◕)/  
 _phichitchu_ : so i should make that group chat!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : who would you even invite?  
 _phichitchu_ : do you remember leo and guang hong?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah…  
 _phichitchu_ : well i know for a fact that theyd like to be friends with you!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : aren’t they kind of young?  
 _phichitchu_ : leo is only a year younger than me…  
 _phichitchu_ : and what does that matter anyway? (~_~)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I guess it doesn’t…  
 _phichitchu_ : its not like theyre immature or anything  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I didn’t say they were…  
 _phichitchu_ : （;;￣ー￣）  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri i only say this because youre my best friend  
 _phichitchu_ : but youre kind of a snob sometimes  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (；一_一)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I know…

Yuuri let out a deep sigh, and then startled, surprised by how loud it sounded in the dead of the night. Or… really early morning, rather. It was almost 2:30 now. Phichit’s words rattled around in his head. He wished he could be as easygoing and charismatic as Phichit and Viktor were. This whole debacle was giving him flashbacks to the Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Championship, when Viktor scolded him for acting so coldly towards Minami. 

His phone began to buzz again, and Yuuri nearly groaned when he saw the onslaught of new messages. Reluctantly, he reopened the app.

 _phichitchu_ invited _katsukiyuu_ , _leoofthechurch_ , and _guanghongstar_ to chat log _friendship training_

 _phichitchu_ : hello friends!  
 _phichitchu_ : welcome to the group chat  
 _phichitchu_ : (*^3^)/~☆  
 _guanghongstar_ : hiiiiii~  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo are you here  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Yep!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey Guang Hong  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey Phichit  
 _guanghongstar_ : leoooooo~  
 _guanghongstar_ : its been so long  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I know :'‑(  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Lets facechat soon  
 _guanghongstar_ : okay~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey isnt Katsuki here too?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, I’m here  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and you can call me Yuuri, it’s fine;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : hi yuuriiiiiii~  
 _guanghongstar_ : this is super late buuut  
 _guanghongstar_ : congratulations on winning silver!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Yes congrats :‑)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : thanks;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : soooooo i have to ask~  
 _guanghongstar_ : whats it like working with viktor?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Guang Hong is a big fan  
 _guanghongstar_ : LEOOOOOOOOOO  
 _guanghongstar_ : and to think i took a bullet for you!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ?????????????????  
 _leoofthechurch_ : In Guang Hongs free skate he envisioned a version of shanghai blade where he took a bullet for me :'‑)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ohhhh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and, to answer your question,  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Viktor can be overwhelming sometimes, but  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he’s a great coach, and I’m lucky to have him  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (≧∇≦)  
 _guanghongstar_ : and i heard you two are engaged~  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yes, that’s correct;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : SPLEEEEEEEEEEE  
 _guanghongstar_ : how cuuuuuute~  
 _phichitchu_ : thats right!!  
 _phichitchu_ : i keep forgetting to ask  
 _phichitchu_ : whens the wedding?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : uhhhh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : we haven’t really decided on one yet;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : thats understandable  
 _phichitchu_ : the two of you havent been engaged long  
 _phichitchu_ : i doubt youve even chosen your best man yet!  
 _phichitchu_ : (´･ω･`)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : was that a hint of some sort?  
 _phichitchu_ : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you’re not very subtle, phichit;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : lmao  
 _katsukiyuu_ : fine…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : will you be my best man, phichit?  
 _phichitchu_ : im offended you even had to ask  
 _guanghongstar_ : LMFAO  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichit stop teasing yuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ehh I’m used to it by now  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he never stops teasing me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : by the way, Guang Hong, what time is it in Beijing?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it must be super early there…  
 _guanghongstar_ : oh im not in beijing  
 _guanghongstar_ : im in vancouver   
_guanghongstar_ : canada~  
 _katsukiyuu_ : what, really?  
 _guanghongstar_ : yuuuuuuup  
 _guanghongstar_ : this is where i go to train  
 _leoofthechurch_ : And scour for celebrities :‑P  
 _guanghongstar_ : that too!  
 _guanghongstar_ : i want to meet a famous movie star someday~  
 _phichitchu_ : leo and guang hong are actually in the same time zone  
 _guanghongstar_ : stop reminding us ;_;  
 _guanghongstar_ : were still twenty hours away from each other!!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : So close and yet so far away :'‑(  
 _guanghongstar_ : soooooooo sad ;_;  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Well have to meet up sometime soon  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Like last summer  
 _phichitchu_ : what happened last summer?  
 _phichitchu_ : i want details (^_-)-☆  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichiiiiiiiiiiiiiit  
 _guanghongstar_ : ;///;  
 _guanghongstar_ : theres really nothing to report  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo took me sight seeing thats all  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :-?

“Yuuuuuuuri.”

Yuuri nearly soared out of bed in surprise. He glanced over at Viktor, who was now very much awake, and also, judging by his expression, annoyed.

“S-sorry. Did I wake you?”

Viktor’s lips twisted into a frown. Just as Yuuri feared, Viktor began to nag him. “Yuuri, have you been awake this entire time? You know you mess up your jumps when you don’t get enough sleep,” Viktor grumbled, mouth half muffled by Yuuri’s shoulder, “What are you even doing on your phone? It’s not like you to get absorbed in social media. Or to stay up this late.”

“I was, uh, chatting with Phichit.” Yuuri bit his lip, guilt knotting his gut.

Viktor’s scowl softened a bit. “You can talk to him tomorrow,” he whispered, voice turning soft, less coach and more fiancé, “Come here, let’s cuddle if you don’t want to sleep.”

 _katsukiyuu_ : I have to go, goodnight everyone

It was difficult to type out a farewell with Viktor suddenly clinging to him like a koala, but somehow Yuuri managed. Then he closed the app, put his phone on silent, and put it aside. He had a feeling Phichit, Leo, and Guang Hong would be filling the group chat with messages for many more hours.

Closing his eyes, Yuuri rolled to his side so he could curl up in Viktor’s arms more comfortably. He fit his head under Viktor’s chin, and felt some of his homesickness ease away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who commented or left kudos on the first chapter!! I'm glad other people enjoyed reading this incredibly self-indulgent fic of mine. 
> 
> Some notes for this chapter: _buta_ is Japanese for "pig", and _porosya moya_ is Russian for "my piglet", a term of endearment

_phichitchu_ : good morning!  
 _phichitchu_ : how did you sleep?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : surprisingly okay, considering I only slept for four hours  
 _phichitchu_ : good good  
 _phichitchu_ : hey yuuri im going to say something quickly  
 _phichitchu_ : since i told ciao ciao i was just taking a short breather  
 _phichitchu_ : and soon hes going to nag me to get back to work  
 _katsukiyuu_ : okay?  
 _phichitchu_ : you should try to post on instagram today!  
 _phichitchu_ : more than once  
 _phichitchu_ : ＼(^o^)／  
 _katsukiyuu_ : is that all?  
 _phichitchu_ : (~_~)???  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I thought you were about to say something profound and serious;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : i am being serious tho  
 _phichitchu_ : you should practice putting yourself out there!  
 _phichitchu_ : so people can get to know you through social media  
 _phichitchu_ : and then they’ll feel more comfortable chatting with you irl!!  
 _phichitchu_ : ＼(◎v◎)／！  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m not sure if it works like that…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but I suppose it won’t hurt to try…   
_phichitchu_ : awesome!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I just never know what to post;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : my life isn’t all that interesting  
 _phichitchu_ : (-_-メ) ……………  
 _katsukiyuu_ : what now?  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri!  
 _phichitchu_ : youre a world renowned figure skater who won silver at the last gpf  
 _phichitchu_ : whos now engaged to five time world champion viktor nikiforov  
 _phichitchu_ : aka your boyhood idol  
 _phichitchu_ : and your best friend/ best man is none other than phichit chulanont  
 _phichitchu_ : aka the future of ice skating in thailand  
 _phichitchu_ : your life is anything but boring!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (ーー゛)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : the future of ice skating in Thailand isn’t particularly humble, now is he?  
 _phichitchu_ : （＾ｕ＾;;）  
 _phichitchu_ : tell you what  
 _phichitchu_ : ill work on being more humble if you work on being more outgoing  
 _katsukiyuu_ : fine…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hey, this is probably kind of intrusive to ask…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but part of making friends is being nosy, right?  
 _phichitchu_ : ahaha yeah sometimes  
 _phichitchu_ : whats up?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : is something going on…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : with Guang Hong and Leo?  
 _phichitchu_ : (・ω・)  
 _phichitchu_ : im so glad you asked!!  
 _phichitchu_ : guang hong is so damn obvious  
 _phichitchu_ : almost as obvious as you were about viktor  
 _phichitchu_ : (*^▽^*) / oh ho ho ho!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ohhhh;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m kind of regretting asking now;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : dont be!  
 _phichitchu_ : oooh i have an idea  
 _phichitchu_ : you can be my matchmaking partner in crime!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh I don’t think so  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t want to meddle  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s not really any of my business anyway;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : i doubt guang hong would mind  
 _phichitchu_ : leo is unbelievably dense to guang hongs feelings  
 _phichitchu_ : and guang hong can be so shy  
 _phichitchu_ : im positive hed appreciate the help!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (#・_・#)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t know, Phichit…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t like the idea of interfering in someone else’s love life;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s so embarrassing…  
 _phichitchu_ : youre blushing rn arent you?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ………………  
 _phichitchu_ : alright lets talk about something else then!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : thank you…  
 _phichitchu_ : or not  
 _phichitchu_ : ciao ciao is getting restless  
 _phichitchu_ : see you on the group chat later?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, okay  
 _phichitchu_ : take some pics for your instagram today!  
 _phichitchu_ : later  
 _katsukiyuu_ : bye

Matchmaking partner in crime, huh? Phichit was unbelievable…

Yuuri munched on his toast, glowering at his phone with reddened cheeks for another moment before placing it down. It was only once he looked up that he realized he had an audience.

On the other end of the small round dining table, Viktor was practically glowing. He had his head propped up by a hand, face tilted, and a dangerous grin splitting apart his face. “Yuuuuri,” Viktor sing-songed, “What on earth are you doing on your phone again? You’re not keeping secrets from me, are you?”

“What?”As if Yuuri would be able to keep anything from Viktor. “Of course not,” Yuuri protested, “I’m just… well, it’s a little embarrassing.” 

“Hmm?” God, if that wasn’t the very definition of a shit-eating grin…

Yuuri tried his best not to roll his eyes, and failed miserably. He loved his fiancé, he really did, but did Viktor have to be so goddamn _extra_ all the time? Even Makkachin wasn’t as high-energy as Viktor.

“Okay, but no laughing,” Yuuri relented, “Phichit is… giving me lessons on how to be more outgoing, so I can make friends with the other skaters here in Russia.”

Well, Viktor wasn’t laughing, so that was good. Viktor’s mouth had fallen into a small ‘o’, and his eyebrows had shot up under his bangs. It was an absurdly cute look for him. When Viktor replied, he sounded borderline breathless. “Oh, Yuuri,” he said, “You never fail to surprise me. Tell me, what brought on this change?”

“I guess I’m just getting tired of relying on you all the time.” Yuuri didn’t realize how mean that might have sounded until he saw Viktor’s shocked expression. “Right now, I feel lost and homesick,” Yuuri quickly explained, “But worst of all, I feel like a burden.”

“Yuuri, you could never be a burden to me.” Viktor closed his eyes, and his pointer finger settled on his lips. It was his ‘thinking face’, something Yuuri was well acquainted with by now. In the nine months they spent together, Viktor had learned that Yuuri cared less for sweeping romantic declarations, and more for thoughtful, honest conversation. It was easier for Yuuri to believe. So Viktor decided to give Yuuri just that. “I think it’s very courageous of you to tackle your social anxiety like this,” Viktor added, “And I want Russia to start feeling like home to you. So I think it is an excellent idea.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri began to flush with pride. He liked having his decisions validated, after all.

Viktor returned Yuuri’s warm smile. “Of course, _porosya moya_. I’m sorry I didn’t consider how isolated you’d feel here, not being fluent in Russian. But Mila and Georgi are nice people – you’ll get along well with them.”

Without saying anything, Yuuri put his hand down on the table. Viktor immediately laced their fingers together. 

“Oh,” Yuuri said, “I know this is sudden, but… have you chosen your best man, yet?”

Well, Yuuri just surprised Viktor twice in the same morning. Viktor nearly spit out his juice, fought his way through a coughing spell, and then gapped at Yuuri. “That _was_ sudden. I didn’t know you’ve been thinking about our wedding. You didn’t seem to want to believe that I’m serious about marrying you, actually, so I assumed you weren’t quite ready to go over details and such yet.”

“Wanting to believe and actually believing are two very different things,” Yuuri sighed, “But, yeah, I’m starting to realize the engagement is real.” He still couldn’t talk about it without blushing, though.

Viktor didn’t respond right away. Then, “Well, there’s no reason to rush anything. You still haven’t won a gold medal, anyway.” Here he added in one of his signature Viktor Nikiforov winks. (Yuuri hated that his heart still skipped a beat in response.) “Once you’ve gotten gold, then I’ll know you’re serious about tying the knot with me. Sound fair?”

That was the very opposite of fair, Yuuri thought. He knew it was childish, but he couldn’t hold back his pout. “I _am_ serious about marrying you,” he scoffed.

“I know! I just wanted to hear you say it!” Viktor clapped his hands together, happy as a clam. As per usual, he was just as irritating as he was adorable. “Now finish your breakfast, _porosya moya_ ,” Viktor cooed, “Yakov is not nearly as forgiving as I am when it comes to skaters being late!”

\---

Figuring out what to post to Instagram was easier said than done. The day was halfway over, and Yuuri was still no closer to having anything interesting to share with his followers. He moped on a bench, scrolling through his feed and occasionally glancing up to watch Yakov and Viktor’s interactions. The two were surprisingly hilarious together… though Yuuri worried that Viktor might give Yakov an ulcer one day.

He would have taken a photo of them, but Yakov had a strict rule about his face never showing up on the internet without his explicit consent. Suffice to say, Yuuri was far too intimidated by the Russian coach to dare ask for it. 

Yuuri took a long drink from his thermos as he surveyed the ice rink. Surely there had to be something worth documenting going on! His eyes shifted to where Georgi and Mila were off to the side, in a heated conversation about… something. They were speaking too quickly for Yuuri to catch any specific Russian words. 

He was about to give up when he caught sight of Yuri Plisetsky, leaning on the wall with one leg high in the air. Yurio’s body showed no sign of fatigue from standing in such a challenging ballet pose. In contrast to his statuesque stance, his thumbs were moving a million miles a minute across the face of his phone. The whole scene was just so irrefutably Yurio that Yuuri had to bite back a laugh. Yuuri did snap a pic, though.

 _training with the other Yuri_ , he wrote in the caption, and posted it. 

It didn’t take long for Yurio to notice. Despite being ‘skating rivals’ (Yurio’s words), they still followed each other on social media.

“Did you seriously just take a pic of me, _buta_?” 

Yuuri looked up so see the younger Yuri towering over him, face contorted in rage. He smiled back, just to piss Yurio off. “You were up rather late last night,” Yuuri noted, “Up until three in the morning, or later. Did you get any sleep?”

“What’s it to you, asshole?” Yurio’s glare could shatter glass, but thankfully Yuuri had enough exposure to it by now that he was basically immune. 

“I’m just wondering if Yakov knows, is all.”

Oh, that set Yurio off. More than usual, anyway. Yurio held up a fist to Yuuri’s face, teeth audibly grinding. Ouch, that sounded painful. “I think you know very well that he doesn’t, _buta_. What is this, anyway? Are you trying to blackmail me?”

“What? Of course not.” Yuuri bit his lip. Did Yurio seriously think he was the kind of person to do that? That was a little disconcerting to think about. 

“Then what’s your angle?”

“Why do I have to have an angle?” Yuuri puffed out his cheeks, trying to remain level-headed. This conversation was not going the way he hoped it would. He had merely meant to tease Yurio, not start a fight. Time to try something different… “Can’t I just want to talk? I couldn’t sleep last night, so I passed the time on social media, too. Viktor chewed me out over it. I was just wondering if you got the same treatment from Yakov.”

The anger on Yurio’s face melted into a look of pure boredom. “Why the hell would you care? And since when do you care about making small talk with me?”

Did Yuuri dare tell the truth? Maybe if he allowed himself to be vulnerable, the other boy would do the same. Yurio had his nice moments, after all. Yuuri pondered the range of possibilities; how was Yurio most likely to respond? Finally, Yuuri came clean. “Besides Viktor, you’re the only friend I have here in Russia.”

And now the anger was back on Yurio’s face. That didn’t last long.

“Since when are we friends?” Yurio spat out the words as if they were poison. “We’re skating competitors… rivals! We aren’t friends.”

But what about those pork cutlet _pirozhki_ Yurio gave him? Yuuri was about to ask, but then thought better of it. “I don’t see why we can’t be both,” Yuuri said instead, “Rivals _and_ friends.” A light bulb went off in his head. “Oh! Frenemies!” 

“What?”

“Oh…” Did Yuuri really just blurt that out loud? Too late to take it back now, he figured. “Uh, it’s a term I came across during my time in Detroit. It’s a combination of ‘friend’ and ‘enemy’.”

“What a stupid word.” Yurio’s stare was extra intense for a moment, before he violently tore himself away from Yuuri’s gaze. “But… fine,” Yurio hissed, “If it’ll make you happy, we can be… frenemies.” Oh, how his face twisted as he said that. It looked like Yurio had just bitten down into a lemon.

Yuuri tried not to smile too wide, lest Yurio think he was gloating. Yurio didn’t smile back, but that was okay. It seemed that Yurio was about to walk away, so Yuuri began to talk again.

“Hey, Yurio! As frenemies, can we instant message each other?”

Yurio rolled his eyes at that, hard enough for his head to go along with the ride. “Whatever. Just don’t constantly pester me with meaningless chit-chat, or I’ll block your ass.” He took his phone out from his jacket pocket. “What’s your username?”

“Katsuki, Yuu. With two u’s, like in my name.” Yuuri fished out his own cell. “What’s yours?”

Before Yuuri even finished talking, however, he received a message.

 _russianicetiger_ has sent you a friend request.

Yuuri hit accept, and decided against teasing Yurio over his choice of username. “Thanks! I’ll try to refrain myself from making too much small talk.” He tried to grin up at Yurio, but the boy had already turned his back on him.

“Wait!” Yuuri called out.

Reluctantly, Yurio glanced over his shoulder. “What is it now, _buta_?”

Yuuri sucked in a breath. An idea had just come to him, but he wasn’t sure if it was a smart one or not. Oh, well. Yuuri was certain that Viktor wouldn’t mind. “Yurio, do you want to be the ring bearer?” Yuuri paused, and then clarified: “At my wedding, I mean?”

Was it just Yuuri’s imagination, or was there a faint pink shade dusting Yurio’s cheeks suddenly?

“What, seriously?” Yurio was gaping now, rather inelegantly, like a fish out of water. And yep, that was definitely a burning blush rising across his face. “Do you really have so little friends that you’re willing to scrape the bottom of the barrel, _katsudon_?”

“You were my first choice, actually.” Yuuri fiddled with his glasses, trying not to look as awkward as he felt. Why was talking about all this touchy-feely stuff so damn difficult?

Yurio appeared to be speechless. He still hadn’t bothered to close his mouth. The red had now reached Yurio’s ears, and Yuuri doubted it was from the chill of the ice rink. After a moment of incredibly uncomfortable silence, Yurio began to walk away again.

“Sure, why not?” Yurio spoke, not bothering to turn around to do so. “I’ll do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll get back to Leo and Guang Hong in the next chapter! Kubo-sensei said that couples just seem to appear around Yurio (Yakov/Lilia, Viktor/Yuuri). If only they could ship Yurio off to see Leo and Guang Hong. Maybe just being in the same group chat as them would help?
> 
> I'm stuck between happily single Yurio and a Otabek/Mila/Yurio love triangle. Thoughts?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3! While I was writing this, I realized that one of the characters we still know very little about is... Viktor. We get a good grasp of his personality, but not his interests, his family life, or anything like that. So I looked through screenshots of his apartment and room in Hatsetsu in an attempt to understand him better. 
> 
> Also, everyone in this fic is going to love musicals, because Phichit does, and Viktor himself was based off of an actor who played Hedwig in the stage musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus they all seem to like ice skating and dancing anyway, so it's a logical reach to assume they enjoy musicals, too.

After training was over, Yuuri and Viktor stopped at the store on their way home. They gathered some ingredients for a quick dinner together, but Yuuri hung back when Viktor went to check out. The cashier clearly recognized Viktor, and the two struck up a conversation. Yuuri kept his ears trained on them, trying to figure out what they were saying. He felt a twist of pride upon understanding enough to fill in the blanks and get a sense of what they were discussing.

Then, suddenly, Yuuri heard his own name. Yuuri startled, realizing that he was now the center of attention. He felt Viktor’s arm wind around his shoulders. Oh, how Yuuri hoped that he wasn’t blushing! It wasn’t that Yuuri didn’t like Viktor getting all affectionate with him in public, but he wasn’t entirely used to it yet, either.

“ _On moy zhenikh_ ,” Viktor said, flashing his engagement ring at the cashier with a brilliant smile stretching wide across his face. 

Viktor continued talking, but Yuuri’s pulse was thrumming too loudly in his ears for him to hear the words clearly. He had definitely understood that phrase, as Viktor had so dutifully taught him an absurd amount of Russian words related to romance. 

Thankfully, the cashier didn’t react much at all to Viktor’s unprompted declaration of their relationship status, and before long they were headed out the door.

Once home, Yuuri started to unpack the groceries when Viktor swatted at his hands. 

“Allow me,” Viktor purred as he gave Yuuri’s forehead a fleeting peck. “I’ll prepare dinner tonight. I have another task for you.” Before Yuuri could ask, Viktor dug a rolled up magazine out of one of the bags and tossed it down onto the table. “Look through this for me, will you?”

It was… a wedding magazine, judging by the woman in a white bridal dress on the front cover. Yuuri gawked at it, trying his best not to sputter as he demanded, “What, why?”

Viktor began to hum, dancing around the kitchen on the balls of his feet. “Because,” Viktor gushed, sounding delirious with excitement, “ever since you mentioned our wedding this morning, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! It’s time we starting making some important decisions. Like… where it’ll be, how many people we’ll invite, what suits we’ll wear… all those essential details!”

“Oh.” God damn it, at this rate Yuuri was going to have a permanent blush burned into his face. He readjusted his glasses and flipped through the first few pages. Although he could speak and understand spoken Russian, he struggled with the Cyrillic alphabet. Thankfully, most of the pictures were fairly self-explanatory. 

A few minutes passed, as Yuuri skimmed the magazine pages and Viktor began to assemble their dinner. 

“Oh!” Yuuri suddenly remembered his conversation with Yurio earlier that day. “Speaking of the wedding, I may have, uh… asked Yurio to be the ring bearer. I’m sorry, I should have told you beforehand, but I… I figured he was the obvious choice.”

Viktor smiled over his shoulder, and any lingering doubts Yuuri had dissipated. “You’re right! He is the obvious choice. And I think I’ve chosen my best man: Christophe. I’ll just have to be wary of granting him _too_ much influence over my bachelor party.” He laughed as he said that, still as light as ever on his toes. It almost seemed as though Viktor would start floating off the ground at any moment.

Speaking of a bachelor party… Yuuri considered how Phichit would do as his best man on that particular front. Not that Yuuri really even cared to have one, but he had no doubt that his animated Thai friend would insist upon it.

“Oh, and we must have champagne at the wedding,” Viktor put in rather randomly, “Lots and lots of champagne.”

It took about ten seconds for Yuuri to realize _why_ Viktor was so intent on having champagne at the wedding. “Oh, no,” he protested, “I am not getting wasted at my own wedding and embarrassing myself like I did that night we met. In fact, I won’t be drinking at all. My parents are going to be there.”

Viktor gave Yuuri a disappointed pout, but he didn’t push it. “Alright, fine. But you’ll still dance with me, won’t you?”

“What? Of course!” Yuuri opened his mouth to say more, and then bit the words back. His thoughts were so embarrassing, but… Viktor might appreciate hearing them. Yuuri changed his mind again, and added, “I want to dance with you. It’s… one of the things I’m looking forward to the most.”

Yes, that was definitely the right thing to say. Viktor lit up like a Christmas tree, and began twirling around the spatula he was holding in happy circles. “Oh, Yuuri,” Viktor cooed, “We should do a choreographed routine together! That would be adorable, no?”

“Oh, yes! Let’s do that.”

“Although…” Viktor paused in his cheerful fidgeting, and put on a dangerous-looking smile. “We don’t have to wait for the wedding to dance together.”

“Ah, no, but…” Yuuri struggled to string words together into a grammatically correct sentence. It was so unfair how Viktor’s devious expression was turning his brain to mush. Yuuri tried to focus by looking away from his fiancé. “You should probably watch the stove for right now, and make sure nothing burns,” Yuuri finished.

Viktor just winked at that. “I wasn’t suggesting we dance right now,” he teased, as he turned back around to focus on their food. “I’m just saying we should make a habit of it. You did ballet before skating, right? And you’re clearly a phenomenal dancer. God, the way you seduced me that night at the banquet…” His voice turned all melty and soft again. “You clearly love to dance, and so do I! Let’s try to dance together more often, hmm?”

“Okay, okay!” Yuuri’s heart couldn’t take much more of Viktor’s heaping praise, and he prayed that the subject would change soon. Though… he had to admit that that sounded like a lot of fun. 

Thankfully, Viktor seemed to pick up how overwhelmed Yuuri was feeling, and didn’t push the conversation any further. Instead, he began to sing to himself. It was something that he did when he was incredibly content. Though Yuuri didn’t understand the words (the lyrics were in French), he closed his eyes and simply allowed himself to enjoy Viktor’s handsome voice.

\---

By eight, Yuuri was beyond exhausted. He was collapsed on the couch with Viktor, both panting hard. After dinner and some more wedding talk, Viktor got the idea to push all his furniture to the side to create a makeshift dance floor. (Apparently, Yuuri was an even better dancer when sober, according to Viktor.)

Yuuri snuggled up to Viktor’s chest, still smiling. They clung together in a sweaty tangle for a while, Viktor combing his fingers through Yuuri’s hair, which he had been recently growing out. 

It was a sweet, gentle moment, until Yuuri’s phone began to blow up with messages.

“Phichit again, I assume?” Viktor had to whisper, with his mouth so close to Yuuri’s ear. “I _suppose_ I can share you,” he joked, even as his arms wound tighter around Yuuri, “after I spent all afternoon hogging you to myself.”

Yuuri felt torn for a moment. He didn’t want to leave the warm comfort of Viktor’s embrace just yet. “Are you going to leave?” Yuuri asked, hating how hesitant he sounded.

Viktor squeezed him again. “I can stay here if you want,” he murmured, his fingers pressing relaxing circles into Yuuri’s scalp. Then he shifted, reaching behind himself to grab a book off the side table. Viktor tended to keep stacks of books around in every room in his apartment, even though he had a perfectly good bookshelf to keep them in.

It took a little bit of shifting for them to find a position where Viktor could read while Yuuri texted, while still being cuddled up together, but eventually they settled back down.

Yuuri kissed Viktor’s arm, and then unlocked his phone.

It was not just Phichit who had messaged Yuuri, but also Guang Hong and Leo. They were all suddenly very active in the group chat.

 _guanghongstar_ : helloooooooo  
 _guanghongstar_ : is anyone there?  
 _guanghongstar_ : i have BIG news~  
 _guanghongstar_ : it FINALLY HAPPENED  
 _guanghongstar_ : ;u;  
 _phichitchu_ : what happened??  
 _phichitchu_ : tell us everything  
 _phichitchu_ : (*▽*)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Yeah what happened?  
 _phichitchu_ : leo you dont know?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : No  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok so here it is  
 _guanghongstar_ : after years and yeaaaars of begging…  
 _guanghongstar_ : my dad FINALLY agreed to let me adopt a cat~  
 _guanghongstar_ : shes my early bday gift ^u^  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Congrats :-)  
 _guanghongstar_ : 猫咪.jpg  
 _guanghongstar_ : her name is sassy and i love her soooooooo much  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Sassy?  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri youre here!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : aha yeah I was just kind of lurking for a bit there  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and congratulations on the kitten, Guang Hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : thank you~  
 _guanghongstar_ : and yeah i got the name from that cute movie leo and i saw together  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Oh you mean from homeward bound  
 _guanghongstar_ : yes!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo streamed it for me after i told him i have a weakness for movies with talking animals ^///^  
 _guanghongstar_ : theyre just too cuuuuuuuuuute~  
 _guanghongstar_ : my sassy doesnt really look like the cat in the movie but i love her all the same~  
 _guanghongstar_ : this is the movie sassy  
 _guanghongstar_ : http://www.cinemacats.com/wp-content/uploads/movies/homewardboundincredible03.jpg  
 _phichitchu_ : so cute!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : she looks kind of like Yurio’s cat  
 _guanghongstar_ : youre right!!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : how have i never noticed before???  
 _guanghongstar_ : what is his cats name again?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Sasha, I think?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he doesn’t mention her much but I’m fairly sure that he tags all her pics with that name  
 _guanghongstar_ : omg thats kind of similar to sassy  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Maybe Sassy and Sasha could be friends :-)  
 _guanghongstar_ : thatd be cute~  
 _guanghongstar_ : but i dont know how well sassy handles traveling yet  
 _guanghongstar_ : does yuri p bring sasha with him to competitions?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I doubt it  
 _katsukiyuu_ : that would be a lot of stress for any pet  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Viktor used to leave Makkachin back in Hatsetsu with my family  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s really not worth the trouble, since we were never gone for that long  
 _guanghongstar_ : hmmmm  
 _guanghongstar_ : that makes sense  
 _guanghongstar_ : although im eventually going to have to bring sassy back to china with me…  
 _guanghongstar_ : id rather not have her fly around too often  
 _phichitchu_ : thats a good idea  
 _phichitchu_ : pets can easily get sick if theyre under a lot of stress so you have to be super careful  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichit you have hamsters dont you?  
 _phichitchu_ : yes!!  
 _phichitchu_ : taeng_thinnakorn_and_arthur.png  
 _phichitchu_ : they are precious  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and if you’re wondering, yes, he did name them all after characters from The King and The Skater  
 _phichitchu_ : （●＾o＾●）  
 _phichitchu_ : its a good movie  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit has an unhealthy love for musicals  
 _phichitchu_ : you like them too!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : lucky for me, since being your roommate would have been a nightmare otherwise  
 _guanghongstar_ : !!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : i want to be in a musical someday~  
 _phichitchu_ : you do???  
 _phichitchu_ : （*´▽｀*）  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok so this is kind of embarrassing…  
 _guanghongstar_ : but once i retire from skating  
 _guanghongstar_ : in like ten or so years from now  
 _guanghongstar_ : i want to move to hollywood and try acting~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Really?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Thats amazing :-D!!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I bet youd be great at it  
 _guanghongstar_ : *///*  
 _guanghongstar_ : i sure hope so  
 _phichitchu_ : i agree with leo  
 _phichitchu_ : youd make an excellent actor  
 _phichitchu_ : i also have some pretty silly dreams for my post competitive skating future  
 _guanghongstar_ : oh!!! please share~  
 _phichitchu_ : not yet (^_-)  
 _phichitchu_ : its a secret for right now  
 _guanghongstar_ : !!!!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : now im even MORE curious ;_;  
 _phichitchu_ : ahaha sorry  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Once I get too old to skate competitively I want to pursue choreographing professionally  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Since I already choreograph all my own routines :-)  
 _guanghongstar_ : wooooooooooooow *u*  
 _guanghongstar_ : thats so cool~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :#)  
 _phichitchu_ : what about you yuuri?  
 _phichitchu_ : you suddenly got kind of quiet  
 _katsukiyuu_ : sorry, I guess I’m just impressed by everyone’s future goals  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and suddenly confused about my own  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I used to assume that I’d end up working at either Ice Castle or my parent’s hot spring  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but now I have to consider what Viktor wants, too  
 _phichitchu_ : thats right!  
 _phichitchu_ : you two are a package deal now  
 _phichitchu_ : (*^▽^*) <3  
 _guanghongstar_ : youre sooooo lucky yuuri~  
 _guanghongstar_ : sometimes i still cant believe youre engaged to viktor nikiforov  
 _katsukiyuu_ : honestly  
 _katsukiyuu_ : sometimes I still can’t believe it, either  
 _guanghongstar_ : AWWWWWWW~  
 _guanghongstar_ : <3 <3 <3 <3 <3  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri may not seem like the type but he was actually a huge viktor fan in college  
 _phichitchu_ : he collected posters and magazine articles  
 _phichitchu_ : and even got a brown poodle and named him after viktor!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : OMG really???  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (・_・;;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : okay, time to change the subject;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : ahhhh sorry yuuri i probably shouldnt have said that…  
 _phichitchu_ : if it helps you can share one of my shameful college secrets  
 _katsukiyuu_ : well, I already told them about your strange infatuation with musicals so I suppose this makes us even  
 _phichitchu_ : ( ^)o(^ )  
 _phichitchu_ : i guess it does!  
 _guanghongstar_ : i dont think either secret is all that embarrassing tbh…  
 _guanghongstar_ : awwww sassy fell asleep on my lap ^u^  
 _guanghongstar_ : naptime.jpg  
 _phichitchu_ : (*^◇^*) <3  
 _phichitchu_ : what a cute cat  
 _phichitchu_ : if only cats didnt try to catch and eat hamsters (;_:)  
 _guanghongstar_ : sassy isnt much bigger than a hamster right now~  
 _katsukiyuu_ : kawaii!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Guang Hong, would you mind if I shared the photos of your kitten with Yurio?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I think he’d like them  
 _guanghongstar_ : go right ahead!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : i already have the pics up on instagram  
 _guanghongstar_ : theyre getting so many likes!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : nine weeks old and sassy is already becoming famous~  
 _phichitchu_ : maybe yurio has already seen the pics then?  
 _guanghongstar_ : not likely!  
 _guanghongstar_ : he doesnt follow me  
 _phichitchu_ : really?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t think he’s interested in being friendly with most other skaters  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m still surprised he follows me  
 _phichitchu_ : ahh youre right i just checked and he doesnt follow me either  
 _phichitchu_ : even tho i follow him (Ｔ▽Ｔ)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (^_^;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I just barely got him to agree to be frenemies  
 _phichitchu_ : lol!  
 _phichitchu_ : thats cute  
 _guanghongstar_ : omg that is really cute~  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo lets call each other frenemies from now on  
 _guanghongstar_ : like when people ask us why we hang out so much in between competitions  
 _guanghongstar_ : and no one will know if were serious or not  
 _guanghongstar_ : lol our fans would love it~  
 _guanghongstar_ : …………………………………  
 _guanghongstar_ : …………………  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo?  
 _guanghongstar_ : aww he must have left  
 _phichitchu_ : without saying goodbye?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : maybe he was in a hurry?  
 _guanghongstar_ : or maybe his coach stole his phone because he was ignoring her  
 _guanghongstar_ : shes done that before lmao  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (ー_ー;)  
 _guanghongstar_ : not on purpose or anything but when hes listening to music sometimes he doesnt realize people are trying to get his attention ^u^;  
 _phichitchu_ : its sweet how you know leo so well  
 _katsukiyuu_ : phichit;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : o///o  
 _guanghongstar_ : um i should probably get off my phone now too  
 _katsukiyuu_ : okay, have a good day!  
 _phichitchu_ : ttyl!  
 _guanghongstar_ : byeeeeee~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I remembered (a little too late) that today is Guang Hong's birthday. And so I decided to go back and make the kitten he got a bday gift! It was just one extra line in the last chapter, though, nothing important enough to reread through it (unless you want to).
> 
> I'm really, really loving all the great feedback! I love that my slow-paced story is getting so much attention~
> 
> I just really love all these skaters, and I want to see more of their lives and friendships beyond the ice rink. Anyway, happy birthday Guang Hong! This chapter is dedicated to you, and all the lovely Guang Hong (and leoji) fans out there~

“Yuuri, relax your legs! You’re going to keep flubbing your flips if you don’t stop tensing so much!”

“Right.” Yuuri swerved back around to his starting position, readying himself to start again from the top. He pushed himself forward, determined to ace his next jump if it killed him. It didn’t make sense that he kept missing it; after all, Yuuri had been able to land them perfectly just the other day. Maybe all his restless nights were catching up to him.

He forced himself to relax his muscles, trying to make everything look as effortless as possible. He extended his right leg, and closed his eyes. Viktor was right; Yuuri could hear the music in his head as he skated. Here, there would be a gradual crescendo, building up to his jump.

And… now! Yuuri opened his eyes, twisted his body into position, and fuck—

Yuuri knew the second that he took off the ice that he had made the same mistake. For a split second, before vaulting into the air, he had hesitated. As the world spun around him, Yuuri waited for impact.

His skate touched down, yes, perfect, but then his leg slipped out from under him. For a long five seconds, Yuuri struggled to regain his balance, touching down on the ice before righting himself back up. His face was burning with shame, and he tried to avoid facing in Viktor’s direction for a moment while he nursed his bruised ego.

“Why am I suddenly messing this up?” Yuuri grumbled mostly to himself, but loud enough for Viktor, who was now skating over, to hear him.

Then Viktor’s hand was on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Let’s take a break from flips and come back to them later,” Viktor advised Yuuri, “because now you’re just overthinking everything. We both know you can land them just fine, so try not to worry about it.”

Yuuri swallowed back the urge to disagree. “Fine,” he relented, sounding as unhappy and childish as he felt.

“Don’t pout like that,” Viktor said, leaning close enough that his bangs tickled Yuuri’s cheek, “We’ll practice flips again before we head home, okay? I just want to give you a chance to relax and build up your confidence again.”

It was impossible to argue with Viktor when their noses were almost touching like that. Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek, determined not to give Viktor the satisfaction of seeing him swoon. They were engaged now, after all! Yuuri could handle close contact – even in public – without getting ridiculously flustered. He had had the time to grow accustomed to Viktor’s flirtatious ways, and how to survive them. The trick was to avoid glancing at Viktor’s lips.

“Can you believe this?”

Yuuri and Viktor tore apart quickly at the sound of Yurio’s voice. For once, though, he wasn’t complaining about them.

Yurio glided an angry circle around them, and then skidded to a stop. He jerked his chin to the side, pointing to the subject of his current ire. Off past the wall of the rink, there were two people standing together. Yuuri couldn’t quite make out who they were without his glasses, but Yurio didn’t give him the chance to ask.

“Lilia isn’t even paying attention to me! Those two have been completely lost in conversation for the last ten minutes!” 

Yuuri squinted. “Is that Yakov?” He didn’t know why he asked. Who else would it be?

“Right, yeah. I forgot you’re as blind as a bat.” Yurio glowered at Yuuri, but his daggered gaze seemed softer than usual. “Yeah, it’s Yakov. God, I missed the days when they just awkwardly ignored each other all day and night. Now they’re always either arguing or…” The blonde Russian gave a harsh shudder, like he couldn’t even bear to say the word. “…Flirting,” he hissed.

“Flirting?” Yuuri looked back at the two fuzzy silhouettes. It was hard to imagine Yakov flirting with anyone. But… hadn’t Viktor mentioned that Lilia was Yakov’s ex-wife? 

“Oh, so you guys have noticed, too,” a female voice cut in.

Mila and Georgi were making their way over into the conversation. Mila put a hand on her cheek, mimicking a swooning woman. “They’re totally making goo-goo eyes at each other,” she added, sounding far more gleeful about the prospect than Yurio.

“So romantic,” Georgi added, and yep, it seemed like he had hopped up on the Yakov/Lilia hype train, too. They’d get along well with Phichit, Yuuri thought.

“Romantic? More like appalling!” Yurio folded his arms, and Yuuri knew that his angry ranting was just getting started. “They’re supposed to be _professionals_ , god dammit, and there they are acting like star-crossed teenagers! Did someone inject something into the air lately, because no matter where I look, it’s like everyone is suddenly struck dumb with lust! It was bad enough with _these two morons_ flaunting their public displays of affection all over the ice rink,” he said, pointing out Viktor and Yuuri, “But I have to _live_ with Yakov and Lilia, and they’re driving me insane!”

Mila draped herself on top of Yurio, causing him to nearly loose his balance for a second. “Don’t be such a grinch, Yuri,” she mock-whined into his ear, “Your face is going to get stuck like that, and then you’ll scare away all your potential suitors!”

“Good!” Yurio struggled until Mila let him go. “Romance is stupid!”

Yuuri suppressed a smile, and suspected Mila, Viktor, and Georgi were doing the same. For all of Yurio’s precociousness, he was still just a kid. 

“I, for one, hope Yakov finds happiness,” Georgi said, hand to his heart. 

“I know!” Mila squirmed happily where she stood, reminding Yuuri of Yuuko whenever she used to fangirl over Viktor. “I really want mom and dad to get back together.”

Yurio puffed up at that. “Who and what, now?”

“Mom and dad!” Mila seemed incredibly unaffected – or perhaps unaware – by Yurio’s murderous glare. “I mean, we’re kind of like a little makeshift family, aren’t we? With Yakov as the dad, Viktor as the prodigy first child, Georgi as the rising underdog second child, me as the lone daughter, and Yurio as the baby brother!”

That went over as well as could be expected. “Baby brother?!” Yurio sputtered, trembling with rage as though he was about to explode. “I didn’t agree to this!”

Mila completely ignored Yurio this time. Instead, she was focused on Yuuri, scrutinizing him up and down. “As for the Japanese Yuuri,” she said, dragging out her words as she thought, “Well, you’re the soon-to-be son-in-law! And together, we make up one big, happy Russian skating family!”

“Baby brother doesn’t seem all that happy about it,” Georgi teased.

Yuuri quickly stepped backwards, not keen on being caught in between Yurio and Georgi. As he anticipated, Yurio dove at Georgi, who spun away from him, laughing.

“A Russian skating family, huh?” That was Viktor, who then leaned his arm up on Yuuri’s shoulder. His breath warmed Yuuri’s ear as he spoke. “You know, that’s a good name for a group chat! We should make one, to keep connected with each other.”

Georgi skated back over to them, keeping Yurio in a brotherly headlock. It only lasted a moment, before Yurio squirmed out of his arms.

“A group chat? Oh, that’s a great idea!” Mila clearly approved.

“Wait, what’s this about a group chat? Oh, hell no.” Yurio clearly did not.

“I think it sounds fun,” Yuuri said, surprising everyone, including himself. Man, Phichit would sure be proud of him once he heard about this. But this wasn’t just for Phichit. Yuuri wanted to get to know Mila and Georgi better outside the skating rink. They reminded him a bit of Yuuko and Takeshi. “We don’t always get a lot of opportunities to chat during practice.”

“And it’s important for you guys to get to know your upcoming brother-in-law better,” Viktor added, making Yuuri’s heart throb with joy. It amazed Yuuri to see, time and time again, how well Viktor could read his mind, and how firmly he supported him.

Unfortunately, Yurio was still not convinced. “Nope, I’m not going joining any more stupid group chats. I refuse to subject myself to reading all the obnoxious flirty texts you two morons would constantly send each other.”

“We wouldn’t flirt in the group chat,” Yuuri protested, although he supposed he couldn’t speak for Viktor. Viktor would definitely have tried to flirt in the group chat, and Yuuri knew it.

“We’d keep the flirting to a minimum, anyway,” Viktor corrected with a sly wink.

“No fucking w—”

“HEY! Why is everyone just _standing around_? Get back to practice, all of you!” Yakov’s voice echoed around the large rink, causing a startled Yuuri to flinch harshly. One glance over to the corner revealed that Lilia was gone, and Yakov’s face was pure tomato red. 

Quickly, the three other skaters scattered, leaving Viktor and Yuuri behind.

“Viktor! You’re supposed to be a coach, too,” Yakov called over, “so start acting like one! Don’t encourage my skaters to goof off!”

Unperturbed, Viktor waved at Yakov. “Yes, sir,” he replied cheerily.

The rest of the training session passed without much incident, although both Mila and Georgi took the time to sneak over and give Yuuri their instant messenger usernames, and write down his. Mila also tried to give Yuuri Yurio’s username, and Yuuri had to explain to an amused Mila that he already had it.

By the time Viktor and Yuuri got back home, both of them had received messages from their Russian family.

 _babababicheva_ has sent you a friend request.

 _gpopovich_ has sent you a friend request.

\---

 _guanghongstar_ : GUUUUUUYS  
 _guanghongstar_ : my birthday just got EVEN BETTER~  
 _phichitchu_ : tell us!  
 _guanghongstar_ : is everyone here???  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Im here  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo hi~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey :-)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m here, too  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Happy day before your bday Guang Hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : ehehe thanks~  
 _phichitchu_ : ok so whats the big news?  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok so for my birthday tomorrow  
 _guanghongstar_ : my coach is taking me to HOLLYWOOD for a week~  
 _guanghongstar_ : she found a local rink for us to practice at  
 _guanghongstar_ : ^u^  
 _katsukiyuu_ : whoa!  
 _phichitchu_ : guang hong thats great!!  
 _phichitchu_ : i know how long youve wanted to go there  
 _guanghongstar_ : its a dream come true ahhhhhh~  
 _phichitchu_ : wait  
 _phichitchu_ : isnt hollywood…  
 _phichitchu_ : super close to los angeles??  
 _guanghongstar_ : yuuuuuuuuup~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : ^u^  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :-D  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Guang Hong youre going to be like…  
 _leoofthechurch_ : 30 mins away???!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP  
 _phichitchu_ : you two totally have to hang out!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Yes of course  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I dont go there often but I know it well enough  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I can show you around :-)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Im so excited!!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : me too!!!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : wow that’s great news  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it sounds like it’ll be a fun week for the both of you  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but what about Sassy?  
 _guanghongstar_ : sassy will stay here with my dad  
 _phichitchu_ : oh hes in canada too?  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah!  
 _guanghongstar_ : i was kind of confused as to why at first but  
 _guanghongstar_ : apparently everyone has been planning this for a little while now!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Oh man I wonder if my coach will let me train at the rink there with you  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Ill ask her  
 _guanghongstar_ : omg!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : i didnt even think about that  
 _guanghongstar_ : that would be sooooooo much FUN <3  
 _phichitchu_ : man im so happy for you guys  
 _guanghongstar_ : thank you~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I cant wait to show you the choreography I put together for my short program this year!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : OMG  
 _guanghongstar_ : i want to seeeeeeee  
 _phichitchu_ : and you guys can celebrate guang hongs birthday together!  
 _guanghongstar_ : yes~  
 _guanghongstar_ : although ill be on the plane for some of the day  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Oooooh Ill find us a place to eat dinner  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Brb  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok!  
 _guanghongstar_ : oh man this is gonna be the best birthday ever~  
 _phichitchu_ : wait guang hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah?  
 _phichitchu_ : how old are you turning this year again?  
 _guanghongstar_ : 18!  
 _phichitchu_ : (・ω・)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit  
 _phichitchu_ : what  
 _phichitchu_ : i may be remembering wrong  
 _phichitchu_ : its been a long time since ive been in Detroit  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit (ー_ー)  
 _phichitchu_ : but i believe the 18th is a very important birthday year in america!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : really?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Guang Hong, don’t enable him…  
 _phichitchu_ : (＾▽＾)  
 _phichitchu_ : yup!!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : you mean like…  
 _guanghongstar_ : being able to vote?  
 _phichitchu_ : theres that yes  
 _phichitchu_ : and other things （￣ー￣）  
 _guanghongstar_ : ummmmmmmmm  
 _guanghongstar_ : what other things?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit I swear to God…  
 _phichitchu_ : （●＾x＾●）  
 _phichitchu_ : oh nothing…  
 _guanghongstar_ : >///<  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichiiiiiiiiiiit youre not really talking about  
 _guanghongstar_ : THAT  
 _guanghongstar_ : are you…?  
 _phichitchu_ : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
 _phichitchu_ : maybe i was…  
 _phichitchu_ : maybe i wasnt…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit, you’re horrible;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : >///<  
 _phichitchu_ : im just saying  
 _phichitchu_ : one week spent together in america…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit, stop!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Guang Hong doesn’t deserve to be teased like this so close to his birthday…  
 _phichitchu_ : hmmmm youre right  
 _phichitchu_ : m(_ _)m  
 _phichitchu_ : sorry guang hong  
 _phichitchu_ : even if youre fun to tease  
 _phichitchu_ : like yuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (>_<)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Back  
 _guanghongstar_ : DONT SCROLL UP  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Why  
 _guanghongstar_ : DONT DO IT  
 _guanghongstar_ : pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase  
 _guanghongstar_ : >///<  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichit was teasing me ;_;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I can confirm  
 _guanghongstar_ : PROMISE not to read up  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I promise  
 _guanghongstar_ : wheeeeeeeew  
 _guanghongstar_ : at least SOMEONE is nice to me ;_;  
 _phichitchu_ : im sorry guang hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : sniff sniff sniff  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Were you really that mean to Guang Hong  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he really was  
 _phichitchu_ : ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you’re terrible  
 _guanghongstar_ : lol  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok new topic time  
 _guanghongstar_ : ready set GO  
 _guanghongstar_ : anybody?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Mila and Georgi have accepted me as their brother in law  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Thats good to hear  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Having a good relationship with ones rinkmates is important  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah and I guess they consider themselves a family  
 _katsukiyuu_ : with viktor as the eldest brother and yurio as the youngest  
 _guanghongstar_ : im surprised yuri p puts up with that  
 _guanghongstar_ : he seems…  
 _guanghongstar_ : intense o_o  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Didnt you two compete together at junior world  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah i did  
 _guanghongstar_ : we didnt ever talk buuuuuuut  
 _guanghongstar_ : it didnt take long to understand what kind of person he is  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he’s definitely got some anger issues  
 _leoofthechurch_ : That may be an understatement  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Ive heard horror stories about his interactions with his fans :-O  
 _phichitchu_ : oh yeah the yuris angels  
 _phichitchu_ : they can be kind of scary too (~_~;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : they definitely are a devoted bunch  
 _katsukiyuu_ : we actually had an idea to make a family chat group together  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but I doubt Yurio will join…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he seemed dead set against the idea  
 _leoofthechurch_ : That doesnt surprise me :-P  
 _phichitchu_ : well if he doesnt want to join that group chat…  
 _phichitchu_ : maybe hed like to join ours?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Ours? :-O  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I doubt it  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah its like yuuri said…  
 _guanghongstar_ : yuri p doesn’t like to make friends with other skaters  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah…  
 _phichitchu_ : maybe he just doesnt know how to make friends  
 _phichitchu_ : it cant hurt to ask  
 _phichitchu_ : after all  
 _phichitchu_ : this chat group is all about friendship training!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Thats a good point  
 _leoofthechurch_ : What do you think Guang Hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : i dont mind!  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichit could be right  
 _guanghongstar_ : maybe all yuri p really wants is for someone to reach out and try to be his friend  
 _leoofthechurch_ : That is a beautiful way to think about it :-D  
 _phichitchu_ : yeah it is  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hmmm okay, I’ll think about it  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I doubt he’ll say yes, though…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : even if, deep down, he actually wants to  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (・_・;)  
 _phichitchu_ : again it cant hurt to ask  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah maybe;;


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super fluffy, but I just love writing Viktor and Yuuri's interactions so much. Some more Russian and Japanese for you:  
>  _shekastik_ and _pupsik_ : some more Russian pet names, they basically mean "chubby-cheeks" and "darling"  
>  _kasha_ is a type of Russian porridge, Viktor makes his to be nutritious, not delicious  
>  _tamagoyaki_ is a Japanese egg dish, kind of similar to an omelette  
>  _mirin_ is sugary rice wine  
>  _dedka_ is an affectionate Russian term for grandfather
> 
> I did an absurd amount of google-based research for this chapter. Enjoy!

That Saturday morning, Yuuri woke up to a sudden bombardment of wet kisses being pressed all over his face. Surprisingly, Yuuri’s attacker was not the dog, which would have been expected, but rather his darling Russian fiancé. 

“Viktor!” Yuuri began to squeal and kick his legs once he realized what was going on. Unfortunately, he only managed to get himself further tangled up into his cocoon of blankets, leaving him entirely to Viktor’s mercy. “Viktor, oh my god!” Yuuri’s protests slowly fell to tearful laughter, as Viktor’s fingers danced down his absurdly ticklish sides.

Viktor placed once last lingering kiss to Yuuri’s lips, and then pulled back to examine his flushed and rumpled sleepy-eyed darling.

“Good! You’re up,” Viktor chirped, hands flat on the bed on either side of Yuuri, pinning down the comforter, and by extension, Yuuri. “And here I was thinking you were going to stay in bed all day, and leave me to spend the weekend all by my lonesome.”

Yuuri couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled in his throat, which kind of defeated the scowl he was trying to give Viktor. He shimmied an arm free to grab his phone and check the time. “It’s only nine, Viktor,” Yuuri protested, “I probably wouldn’t have slept that much longer. I actually fell asleep at a decent time last night.”

“But I was lonely,” Viktor whined, as if that settled that.

Yuuri yawned, too tired to argue, and tried to worm his way up the bed so he could sit up. Viktor wasn’t making it any easier, contently sitting on Yuuri’s legs and all. But then Viktor shifted back, allowing him enough room to get himself upright. Yuuri kind of regretted doing so, though. Even though Viktor’s classy apartment was kept at a steady 24 degrees Celsius, it was even warmer wrapped up in his thick silken sheets. 

“What shall we have for breakfast, _shekastik_?” Viktor’s list of nicknames for Yuuri was seemingly endless, or so Yuuri was starting to believe. (And while Yuuri didn’t know what all of them meant, just hearing the way Viktor said them was enough to make him inwardly swoon.) “I’ll prepare you anything your heart – or stomach – desires.”

The offer took Yuuri off guard. He still had some pounds to burn off before Nationals. (Though, Yuuri was much heavier last year when he skated Viktor’s _Stay Close to Me_ Free Skate for the first time, and he performed that perfectly, extra piggy fat or not. Still, Yuuri needed to be at the top of his game if he was going to win gold for Viktor.) 

“We’re not having fruit and _kasha_ again?” Yuuri asked, a touch too hopefully. Viktor’s homemade buckwheat porridge wasn’t _horrible_ , per se, but Yuuri still relished the idea of getting to skip it, if even for just one day. 

Viktor hummed playfully. “Not today, _pupsik_ ,” he said, “Today, I am treating my fiancé to whatever he wants to eat.”

Ahh, that was it. Yuuri tried not to smirk too obnoxiously. “All this wedding talk is really making you happy, huh?” While smug, Yuuri couldn’t deny he felt the same way. “In that case, I haven’t had _tamagoyaki_ for breakfast in ages. I could call my mom, and ask for her recipe. Oh, and do you still have sausage in the freezer? We could heat some of that up.”

“Don’t bother calling,” Viktor said, “I helped your mom make it a few times, back in Hatsetsu. We may have to substitute an ingredient or two. I don’t have any _mirin_. Can I use sherry instead?”

Yuuri made a face of pure disgust. “Absolutely not. I’d rather we just skip the _mirin_.”

Viktor clasped Yuuri’s face between his palms and kissed him quickly. “Whatever you want, _porosya moya_ ,” he murmured tenderly, “Today, your wish is my command.”

\---

When Yuuri had entered Viktor’s St. Petersburg apartment for the first time, he was surprised by how… empty it had been. It was spacious, of course, and pristine. And Viktor had plenty of furniture, too… luxurious, classy, expensive furniture. But there was hardly any color, beyond some landscape pictures, some small house plants, and stacks upon stacks of books. It didn’t look like a place that was lived in. Also, there were a preposterous amount of lamps.

Yuuri had been to hotel rooms with more personality than Viktor’s (though he’d never dare vocalize that thought out loud). All of this made Yuuri even more homesick.

Things were getting better, though. Yuuri hadn’t brought many things to Russia with him, aside from the essentials, but what little he had (a porcelain pig, an old cuckoo clock that had belonged to his grandfather, some miscellaneous decor) made the place look a lot more interesting, if less sophisticated than before.

There was something about Yuuri living there that flipped a switch in Viktor. Suddenly, Viktor was digging out old souvenirs and trophies to display. He became less anal about keeping the apartment as tidy as possible. Yuuri never asked, but he remembered from multiple interviews he had read that Viktor had a tendency to move around a lot. (A fact supported by the sheer amount of unpacked boxes in Viktor’s closets.) It was only recently that Yuuri began to realize just how lonely Viktor must have been all these years.

The apartment that Yuuri had first seen a month ago was vastly different now. It was starting to feel like home. With that comforting thought in his mind, Yuuri smiled at the silly poodle mug Viktor had impulse bought the week before. Even though Yuuri wasn’t cold, the warmth of the ceramic was incredibly pleasant against his palms. He blew at his tea, and then took a tentative sip. 

Ouch, still too hot to drink.

Yuuri was seated at the kitchen island, flipping through the magazine Viktor had bought them a couple of days ago. A lot of the pages were filled with wedding dresses, which was completely irrelevant to their needs. However, there were a lot of photos of gorgeous venues. 

“Hey, Viktor,” Yuuri spoke up, attempting to fluster his fiancé, “What do you think about a beach wedding?”

That definitely worked. Viktor’s ears exploded in pink, and he whipped around, surprise and glee written all over his face. “Oh, Yuuri! How romantic,” Viktor gushed, somehow managing to nimbly keep Makkachin from licking the spatula in his hand even as he twirled it around. The man was ridiculously talented, on top of being a total sappy nerd. “How about a summer wedding in Hatsetsu? I know your mom hates flying.”

“I’m sure she’d appreciate that.” God, he could already see his mom’s reaction upon seeing the invite. She adored Viktor, and had nearly caused Yuuri to go deaf when he announced the engagement to her over the phone. 

Yuuri contemplated possible venues in Hatsetsu. “There’s a beautiful garden not too far from Hatsetsu Castle,” Yuuri thought out loud, “It’s not on the beach, but you can see the ocean from it, anyway. Or if we want something indoors, we could consider one of the beachside hotels. The bigger ones can get outrageously expensive, so we could stick with one of the smaller ones.”

Viktor fended off Makkachin again as the poodle tried to sneak one of the sausages off the counter. “Don’t worry about the cost right now,” Viktor advised Yuuri, “Besides, we need to make sure everyone we invite can fit.”

It was then that both men realized they hadn’t made a guest list just yet.

“Wait, how many people are you going to invite?” Yuuri asked Viktor nervously, “I was thinking that it was just going to be a ‘close friends and family’ kind of wedding.” Though, he realized in retrospect, that was kind of a stupid thing to assume. After all, Viktor was a high profile celebrity, and he had an abundance of acquaintances in the skating world. 

Viktor shrugged at that, not answering right away. “Well, I was going to invite our Russian skating family, of course,” Viktor mumbled, uncharacteristically somber, “And Christophe, since he’s my best man. Chris will want to bring his boyfriend, and Yurio might get bored, so we may want to invite Otabek. And then there’s Katya Mikhailov – another ice skater from Russia, but under a different coach. She invited me to her wedding last summer, so it would be rude for me not to return the favor. Oh, but if I invite Katya and her wife, I’d have to invite her friends Ida and Louise, lest they think I’m playing favorites…”

As Viktor droned on, listing names of various acclaimed athletes, Yuuri grabbed a pen to start recording all the guests down in the margin of the magazine before either of them could forget. 

“Wait, wait,” Yuuri gasped out after another minute of Viktor’s rambling; “This is way too many people!” He was running out of space on the page, and he hadn’t even begun adding his own friends and family.

Viktor paused and frowned down at the magazine. “You’re right,” Viktor agreed easily enough, “Let’s start over. Who do you want to invite?”

Yuuri didn’t have to think about that for long. “Well, my parents and Mari, for starters,” Yuuri said, and began to write their names down on the next page, “Minako-sensei will probably strangle me if I don’t invite her. And Phichit, of course. Do you think Yuu-chan and Takeshi will want to come?”

“I think they’d be offended if you didn’t invite them.”

With a nod, Yuuri wrote their names down, too. “Okay,” he said, “And they’ll probably bring Axel, Lutz, and Loop. Am I forgetting someone? Oh, Yurio!” With the blunt end of the pen, Yuuri counted the names he had so far. “Wow, eleven people so far. I guess it is too much to ask for a small wedding.”

“What about those other skaters you’re talking to on the group chat?” Viktor suggested, “They might feel left out if you only invite Phichit.”

“Guang Hong and Leo?” Yuuri considered it. “Sure, I think they’d like to come. Guang Hong is a big fan of yours.” Whoops, maybe Yuuri shouldn’t have said that. Oh well, it wasn’t like Viktor wasn’t used to people gawking over him.

In fact, Viktor hardly reacted to what Yuuri said. Perhaps he already knew. “Alright! That makes thirteen. And our skating family, of course. I want Yakov to be there.”

Yuuri wondered if the Russian skating family included Lilia, as well. She and Yakov were getting along for now, but what if they got into a fight before the wedding? After a moment of deliberation, Yuuri reluctantly put her name down, too. 

The list was now seventeen names long, and then eighteen, once Yuuri remembered that Christophe was going to have to be there. It looked a lot better than the previous list, since Yuuri knew all of these people. He was wondering whether he had forgotten anyone important, so he didn’t even notice that Viktor had finished cooking until a plate was placed down next to him.

“Don’t forget Chris’s boyfriend,” Viktor put in, sitting down in the stool to Yuuri’s right. 

Yuuri put the magazine aside so he could focus on breakfast. The smell of the sausage was intoxicating. He stabbed it with his fork and began to dig into it, relishing the taste. The first bite was a bit too large for his mouth, but thankfully Viktor seemed to take Yuuri’s gluttony as a compliment.

“Someone was hungry,” Viktor teased, planting a loud kiss to Yuuri’s budging chipmunk cheek. “Oh, Yuuri! You’re too cute for your own good.”

Yuuri couldn’t protest, due to the mouth full of sausage. He attempted to chew and swallow the gargantuan mouthful as quickly as possible, so he could at least try to flirt back (flirting was something he was still desperately trying to get a hang of), but then Yuuri’s phone buzzed. The sound was getting quite familiar. Someone had sent him an instant message.

“The group chat again, I presume?” Viktor put a hand to his forehead and feigned sorrow, in that overdramatic way of his. “My, you’re such a popular guy nowadays, Yuuri. Should I feel jealous?”

At last, Yuuri’s mouth was free. “No, of course not,” Yuuri said, not even reaching for his phone yet, in case Viktor really _was_ jealous, “I can answer it later, if you want.”

“Oh, I’m just teasing!” Viktor giggled impishly. “I have the whole weekend to hoard you all to myself. Besides, I love watching your face as you type. Your expressions are always so animated!” He clasped Yuuri’s hand then, his face suddenly very firm and serious. “I love everything about you, Yuuri.”

Oh, god! What an intense declaration, and it came out of nowhere! Yuuri thought he was going to faint, with how fast all his blood was rushing to his head. It certainly made him dizzy, anyway. 

Yuuri was only vaguely used to couples exchanging the L word, due to his time in Detroit. It was extremely uncommon to come across such a thing in Japan. And it wasn’t as if Viktor and Yuuri had never said it before, but never before had it been stated so directly. (Usually it was Viktor telling Yuuri how he had brought love into his life, or Yuuri commenting on how Viktor’s love had changed him for the better.) The raw candor of Viktor’s words were causing Yuuri’s skin to prickle all over with warmth.

“I…” Yuuri struggled to keep his voice from cracking. He refused to tear up. After all, Viktor might take it the wrong way. “I love you, too,” Yuuri whispered, refusing to meet Viktor’s gaze.

Viktor kissed Yuuri again, swiftly on the lips. “Your face is so red, _shekastik_ ,” Viktor whispered back, “I apologize if I took you off guard. It is just that every time I am reminded that we are engaged, my heart feels as though it will burst.” His lovesick expression was far too sincere for Yuuri to look at directly. “But let’s finish our breakfast,” Viktor added, “I don’t want it to get cold.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed. He snuck one more kiss from Viktor before focusing back on his plate of egg and sausage. Maybe Yurio was right. Maybe they were acting like obnoxious star-crossed teenagers. Though… Yuuri couldn’t find it in himself to really care.

\---

It wasn’t until a little before noon that Yuuri remembered that someone had messaged him. To his surprise, it wasn’t from the group chat, but rather directly from Leo. It read:

 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey Yuuri Are you free to chat? This might seem like a weird request but Id like a second opinion on something… Id talk to Phichit but… You know better than anyone what he can be like

Oh, crap. Yuuri frowned and wondered if Leo would still be up. It would be past midnight in America, he knew. He might as well try, though.

 _katsukiyuu_ : hey Leo  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry I kind of forgot someone messaged me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m here now though, if you still want to talk  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey :-)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hey!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I thought you’d be asleep by now  
 _leoofthechurch_ : No I cant sleep tonight  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Im too pumped about getting to see Guang Hong tomorrow  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Anyway  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Thats kind of what I wanted to talk about  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Guang Hong?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Yeah  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I want you to be completely honest with me Yuuri  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Do you think Guang Hong likes me?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Like in a romantic way I mean  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh uh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m really bad at this sort of this honestly  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t want to accidentally make things worse  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I know this really isnt a topic youre super comfortable with  
 _leoofthechurch_ : And honestly neither am I  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Which is why Im talking to you rather than Phichit  
 _leoofthechurch_ : One of the reasons anyway  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t blame you;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit is my best friend but he enjoys meddling too much for his own good  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (=_=;;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you wouldn’t believe how many blind dates he tried to set me up with, back when we were roommates  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :,-)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : It sounds like it was an interesting experience  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it was mostly annoying  
 _katsukiyuu_ : even though I knew he was just trying to help me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : in his own meddlesome way (^_^;)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :-)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : But honestly  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Im really conflicted about Guang Hong  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Sometimes I get the impression that hes flirting with me  
 _leoofthechurch_ : But then he will gush about another skater or hollywood actor  
 _leoofthechurch_ : So maybe he just sees me the way he sees them  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Am I just imagining things?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Im sorry if Im making you uncomfortable…  
 _leoofthechurch_ : But I dont know who else to talk to about this  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s okay  
 _katsukiyuu_ : i’m just really bad at judging these sorts of things  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but if it helps…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit is convinced that Guang Hong likes you  
 _leoofthechurch_ : That could be Phichit just seeing what he wants to see…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, true;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry I’m not being more helpful  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t want to give you bad advice  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I get it  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I probably wouldnt know what to do in that situation either  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Giving someone romantic advice…  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Id be too afraid that Id end up encouraging someone to do something stupid  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Thanks for talking with me anyway  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you’re welcome  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but Leo…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : maybe you should just tell him how you feel?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Really?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I did not expect you to say that  
 _katsukiyuu_ : me either, honestly  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but sometimes honesty is the best policy…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : even if the truth is embarrassing to talk about (#^_^#)

Yuuri didn’t get to see what Leo said in response to that. There was a sudden commotion in the other room that stole his attention away from his phone. It didn’t take him long to recognize Yurio’s voice. Yuuri went to investigate.

Viktor and Yurio were standing by the front door. Yurio had Sasha in his arms, and a leopard print suitcase by his feet.

“…can’t stand one more second of it,” Yurio was saying, sounding vaguely out of breath, “They’re driving me fucking insane! And I’d go stay with _dedka_ , but he’s back in Moscow visiting my _mother_.” He said the word _mother_ similar to the way Yuuri said _kasha_. “I swear, if I have to watch those two old farts make googly eyes at each other one more time, I’m going to lose it. Let me crash here, at least until the honeymoon period wears off, or they break up and go back to fighting all the time. I’ll sleep on the couch or even the floor, I don’t even care at this point.”

It seemed that Viktor was equally as flummoxed as Yuuri. Finally, Viktor shrugged at Yurio. “Make yourself at home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anything you want to see in this fic? Any fun domestic-type scenarios you'd like to see Yurio and his obnoxiously lovey-dovey dads in? I'm basically constructing this story as I go along, so I'm always open to suggestions.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, I finished this chapter all in one day! The writing muse keeps blessing me. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going.
> 
> There's some slight angst/drama in this chapter. I'm bad at writing dramatic stuff though, so I worked hard to make it seem as realistic as possible. Tell me your thoughts?

“Sometimes honesty is the best policy, even if the truth is embarrassing to talk about.” That’s what Yuuri had said right before he stopped responding. Leo de la Iglesia repeated the words over in his mind, like a mantra, as he waited for Guang Hong at the airport.

It was still early in the morning, but the airport was packed. Leo checked his phone for the fifth time in the last few minutes, ensuring that yes, he was in the right place. The two of them had stayed up rather late, despite the fact that Guang Hong had to wake up at 2 for his flight. They had facechatted instead of using the message system, as they usually did, but Guang Hong had sent Leo a few messages afterwards. Most of it was flight information, but after that…

 _guanghongstar_ : man i cant wait~  
 _guanghongstar_ : this is going to be the best birthday ever!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : see you tomorrow leo <3

A tremor sprung up Leo’s spine as he reread Guang Hong’s words. And that little heart at the end, oh man, that made his heart race. No one had a right to be this cute, especially a guy who lived on the other side of the world.

Lost in his thoughts, Leo didn’t notice that Guang Hong was there until his coach, Mia, tapped him on the shoulder. “Leo, he’s here,” she said.

Leo snapped to attention quick enough to give himself whiplash. 

And there he was: Guang Hong, looking slightly taller since they last saw each other at the Cup of China. He was dressed in thick layers, in very western styles. (Guang Hong was obsessed with western fashion, which often included a lot of plaid, due to doing most of his clothes shopping in Vancouver. Leo didn’t have the heart to tell him that it often resulted in him looking like a little lumberjack. A very, very cute lumberjack.)

“Guang Hong!” Leo called out his friend’s name, waving to catch his attention.

“Leo!” Guang Hong perked right up, despite looking beyond groggy from staying up the night before. His coach was trailing behind him, but Guang Hong paid her no mind as he lurched forward, barreling into Leo’s open arms.

If Guang Hong was adorable from afar, he was breath-taking up close. Leo was nearly convinced that the term “pretty boy” had been invented just for Guang Hong. (Not that Leo would ever call Guang Hong ‘pretty’, in case it hurt his feelings.) There was no doubt in Leo’s mind that Guang Hong wouldn’t one day be a beloved Hollywood actor, with millions of fangirls around the world swooning over his delicate, pale features, thick lashes, and the faint freckles dancing over the bridge of his cute button nose.

“Leo? You awake?”

And, fuck. Leo had been staring. He thanked his lucky stars that his dark complexion was likely concealing his sudden blush. 

“Sorry, I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Leo apologized, and was glad he had a good excuse and didn’t have to lie to his best friend. He pinched himself on the arm, and smiled at Guang Hong. “Good! I’m not dreaming.”

Guang Hong’s whole face, neck, and ears exploded in pink, and a smile stretched across his lips. “Nope,” Guang Hong chirped, “This is definitely _not_ a dream.”

Thankfully, before Leo could embarrass himself any more, Mia stepped in. “Alright, let’s grab Guang Hong’s luggage and head out,” she instructed, “We’re just getting in everyone’s way. C’mon, hop to it!” 

\---

The next hour flew by, as they struggled through the crowd to gather Guang Hong’s suitcase, packed themselves like sardines into Mia’s ridiculous bright magenta punch buggy, and got everything settled into the hotel rooms Guang Hong and his coach would be staying in. Mia and Guang Hong’s coach, Li Min, were chatting in the room across the hall, leaving Leo and Guang Hong alone to catch up.

It wasn’t until then that Leo realized that, like a complete moron, he had forgotten something pretty damn important.

“Oh, crap!” Leo jumped off the chair onto his feet, startling Guang Hong, who had been putting away his jacket in the closet. “Guang Hong, happy birthday!! I totally meant to say that earlier, and it slipped my mind. I’m so sorry!”

Guang Hong burst into the most musical laughter Leo had ever heard. “You scared me, Leo! Don’t worry, though, it’s not that big of a deal.”

It sure was a good thing that Guang Hong was so easygoing and tolerant of Leo’s airheaded nature. Leo still felt bad, though. He began to tear through his messenger bag, looking for the gift he had meant to give Guang Hong at the airport. It was easy enough to find the small box amongst the assorted CDs and notepads Mia insisted he’d bring around with him everywhere, so he’d be prepared whenever inspiration hit.

“Here,” Leo said, presenting it to Guang Hong, “Sorry the bow is kind of lopsided. I kind of just threw it into my bag this morning without thinking, since we were running late.”

Guang Hong pulled off the pink bow and stuck it to Leo’s forehead, a funny little habit he picked up from Leo’s youngest sister last summer. (Leo had ensured he got a bow for the gift for this very reason.) He giggled at his own actions, and then began to unwrap his birthday present. Inside the box was a clear CD case. On the CD, Leo had written _Top 20 Broadway Hits_. The title was a tad misleading. A more accurate title would have been _Guang Hong’s Top 20 Favorite Broadway Songs_ , but that wasn’t quite as catchy.

“I put this together after you said you wanted to be in a musical someday,” Leo explained sheepishly, scratching his nose in order to hide his insecure expression, “I thought you could start memorizing some of your favorite tunes, for practice, or just for fun.”

Guang Hong turned the case over, looking over the hand-written playlist on the back. “Oh, Leo,” Guang Hong breathed softly, “Thank you.”

It wasn’t the most original gift. Leo was known for gifting people mixtapes. He felt a tad ashamed he hadn’t come up with something more imaginative, but Guang Hong’s warm reaction settled his nerves. Sometimes, reliability could be nice, too.

 _I love you_ , Leo thought, but the words got stuck in his throat.

\---

At ten, Viktor received a rather curious call from Yakov.

Yuuri was curled up in bed with Viktor, since Yurio and his cat had all but claimed the couch. He only got to hear Viktor’s side of the conversation, and it was in Russian, but he got the general gist of it.

They walked out to confront Yurio together.

“You didn’t tell Yakov you were coming over?” Viktor sounded dangerously calm, but Yuuri knew that underneath his strained smile, he was upset.

Yurio didn’t even look over at them. He pet Sasha’s head, the cat curled up in a roll on his stomach, as if he didn’t hear them. But he didn’t have his headphones in, so they knew he had. It looked like he wasn’t going to respond, but finally he gave a shrug. “I guess it must have slipped my mind,” he said, unconvincingly. 

“He was seriously worried about you,” Viktor hissed through his teeth, “He wanted me to go out and look for you. You can’t just pack up your things and leave without telling anybody, Yuri.”

It was as Viktor’s words had no effect on Yurio. The teenager hardly twitched, and his expression was blocked by his hood and hair. “Stop lecturing me as if you’re my father,” Yurio replied, voice audibly strained, “You, Yakov, Lilia… everyone is so fucking overbearing.”

“It’s because we all care about you.” Yuuri hadn’t meant to speak. He had been content to let Viktor handle this, but the words just slipped out. “You’re our _agape_.”

Yurio burst into laughter, surprising everyone. Even Sasha leaped off of him, and gave him a confused, vaguely offended look. “Oh my god,” Yurio sputtered, wheezing from the force of his snickering, “That was so fucking cheesy, _buta_. I can’t believe you actually said that.” 

Yuuri looked up at the ceiling so Yurio couldn’t see his embarrassment, even though the teenaged punk wasn’t even looking.

“‘You’re our _agape_ ’,” Yurio repeated, making himself laugh harder.

“This isn’t funny!”

The room fell quiet. Yuuri had only heard Viktor snap like that once before (“I’m mad, okay?”), and by the way Yurio was suddenly gaping over at them, he had an inkling that Yurio wasn’t used to this side of Viktor either. By now, the ragdoll cat was crouching underneath the couch, determined to stay out of the way until the tension was resolved.

Yurio’s eyelashes were wet.

Yuuri glanced between Viktor, who looked incredibly pissed off, and Yurio. He knew he had to intervene before someone said something they’d regret. “Okay, let’s all calm down for a minute,” Yuuri spoke up, grateful that his voice didn’t come out shaky.

That definitely worked for Viktor. Yuuri watched his fiancé’s stiff shoulders ease down and all the anger leave his face. “Right, sorry,” Viktor said, “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, Yurio.”

“Whatever,” Yurio scoffed, but despite his scowl, he still looked vulnerable. 

“Can you tell us what’s bothering you?” Yuuri supposed it wouldn’t hurt to ask. “I know it’s not that Yakov and Lilia keep flirting, because otherwise you wouldn’t have come to our place. You’re always complaining about our PDA, too, so that would just be counterproductive. So what’s the _real_ reason that you decided to run away?”

Yurio just shook his head, as though he didn’t trust himself to speak.

Back in Detroit, Yuuri had often been in a similar situation. He would be upset, but refuse to talk about it. Phichit came up with a genius alternative. The memory brought a brief smile to Yuuri’s face. “If you don’t want to talk,” Yuuri suggested slowly, “we can text.”

“Whatever,” Yurio said again, but this time his voice cracked.

“We’ll go back into our room,” Yuuri assured Yurio, taking out his phone and waving it, “Message me when you’re ready. It can be one-on-one, or we could make a group chat for all three of—”

“Just you,” Yurio croaked, burying himself further into his hood.

“I’ll try not to take that personally,” Viktor said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. When Yurio didn’t respond, he added, “I’ll continue reading my book. I won’t read over Yuuri’s shoulder or anything, I promise.”

Again, Yurio stayed silent, so Viktor and Yuuri slunk back to the bedroom.

\---

 _russianicetiger_ : yo.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hey, Yurio  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry Viktor and I kind of ganged up on you there  
 _russianicetiger_ : whatev.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i figured this would happen.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i wanted to piss yakov off, i guess.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : did something happen between you and yakov?  
 _russianicetiger_ : no.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : then why are you mad at him?  
 _russianicetiger_ : i don’t know.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i suppose i’m not actually mad at him.  
 _russianicetiger_ : even tho he and lilia are iNSUFERaBLE TOGETHR.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m confused  
 _katsukiyuu_ : do you know what’s really bothering you?  
 _russianicetiger_ : i guess.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : want to share?  
 _russianicetiger_ : i guess.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you’re not giving me much to work with, Yuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (=_=)  
 _russianicetiger_ : it’s stupid, ok?  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m just sick and tired of all the romantic drama happening around me all the goddamn time.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : romantic drama?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : are yakov and lilia not getting along?  
 _russianicetiger_ : this isn’t about them.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : is this about me and Viktor?  
 _russianicetiger_ : no.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : about georgi and his new girlfriend, then?  
 _russianicetiger_ : no.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m running out of ideas here, Yuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : can you at least give me a hint?  
 _russianicetiger_ : it’s mila and otabek.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ???  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I wasn’t aware that they knew each other  
 _russianicetiger_ : they didn’t.  
 _russianicetiger_ : not until mila begged me to introduce her to him via a group chat.  
 _russianicetiger_ : she saw him skate at the gpf. just NEEDED to meet him, she said.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i doubted she was otabek’s type but i humored her anyway. turns out she IS his type, go fuckin figure.  
 _russianicetiger_ : now i have to put up with their incessant flirting back and forth.  
 _russianicetiger_ : since they seem to think it’s A O-FUCKING-KAY to flirt in the group chat. that i’m a part of.  
 _russianicetiger_ : where i can READ. THEIR. MESSAGES.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : have you tried asking them to stop?  
 _russianicetiger_ : obviously, dipshit.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hey, I’m trying to help you  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you don’t have to call me nasty names;;;  
 _russianicetiger_ : they don’t take me seriously.  
 _russianicetiger_ : nobody  
 _russianicetiger_ : TAKES. ME. SERIOUSLY.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’ll try to treat you more seriously, if you want  
 _russianicetiger_ : whatever.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m still a little confused, though?  
 _russianicetiger_ : about what.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : well…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : about why Mila and Otabek flirting bothers you so much  
 _katsukiyuu_ : do you feel left out, maybe?  
 _russianicetiger_ : not really.  
 _russianicetiger_ : it’s because.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i like otabek, ok?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh  
 _russianicetiger_ : at least. i think i do.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you’re not sure?  
 _russianicetiger_ : idk it’s confusing. how do you know for certain?  
 _russianicetiger_ : how did you know. with viktor?  
 _russianicetiger_ : when did you know you liked him?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : um, well  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I was about your age, I guess  
 _russianicetiger_ : my age?  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh wow.  
 _russianicetiger_ : you were one of his lovesick fans, weren’t you?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ahaha, I guess I was  
 _russianicetiger_ : so you liked him. before you even met?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yes and no  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it was a crush, I guess, but meeting him...  
 _katsukiyuu_ : my feelings changed  
 _katsukiyuu_ : they became stronger, less abstract  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m not exactly sure how to explain it, really  
 _russianicetiger_ : hm.  
 _russianicetiger_ : romance is dumb.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s definitely complicated (^_^;)  
 _russianicetiger_ : it doesn’t matter, anyway.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m being dumb.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t think you’re being dumb, Yuri  
 _russianicetiger_ : i am.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m probably too young.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i don’t have it.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : have what?  
 _russianicetiger_ : eros.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ???  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m not following  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m almost sixteen. but i still don’t get it.  
 _russianicetiger_ : wanting to do that.  
 _russianicetiger_ : with anyone.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : wanting to do what?  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh mY GOD.  
 _russianicetiger_ : yuuri, if you make me say it, i will kill you.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I get it now, sorry (#O.O#)  
 _russianicetiger_ : don’t freak out when i ask this, but.  
 _russianicetiger_ : do you have eros for viktor?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : umm;;;  
 _russianicetiger_ : back in hatsetsu. you said katsudon was eros to you.  
 _russianicetiger_ : so i wondered. if we were the same.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : this is so embarrassing…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ok um  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I didn’t get eros at first, at all  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I never had, all my life  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I had plenty of crushes, but…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : the crushes never progressed to the stage of wanting… to do that…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : working at an onsen, I was used to nudity  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it didn’t bother me, I didn’t see anything sexual about it…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it was the same for Viktor when he first arrived  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but… it was weird…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : the more time we spent together… the more I started to notice it whenever Viktor was naked  
 _katsukiyuu_ : his nakedness started to bother me…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ummm;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry, that was way too much information  
 _russianicetiger_ : so you started feeling eros for viktor?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, that’s a much better way of putting it;;  
 _russianicetiger_ : so.  
 _russianicetiger_ : do you think it will happen to me too?  
 _russianicetiger_ : will i develop eros as i get to know otabek better?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t know  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m not sure what causes someone to start feeling eros for another person  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I think some people feel it a lot  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and some people rarely feel it  
 _russianicetiger_ : do you think. some people don’t ever feel it?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it sounds possible  
 _katsukiyuu_ : maybe you should talk to Phichit?  
 _russianicetiger_ : the guy from the gpf?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he was my rinkmate from Detroit  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he got involved in something called a gsa during college  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he knows a lot about sexuality…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he tried to teach me about it but it was a lot to take in (^ ^;)  
 _russianicetiger_ : huh.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : huh?  
 _russianicetiger_ : what’s his im?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : phichitchu  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he’s overwhelming at times, but he’s also the least judgmental person I know  
 _russianicetiger_ : ok.  
 _russianicetiger_ : um. don’t repeat this convo to viktor, ok?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I won’t  
 _russianicetiger_ : ok.  
 _russianicetiger_ : thanks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you didn't forget about this fic. I sure didn't. I've just been messing with college stuff like financial aid and getting all the necessary documents and stuff like that, so it took me a little longer to finish this chapter. I'm starting to get an idea for the ending. If all goes to plan, chapter 10 will be the final chapter. 
> 
> Nothing is set in stone yet, though, so feel free to suggest ideas on what you think this story should include. As you've probably noticed by now, this fic is mostly just a mess of wish-scenario fluff. 
> 
> Enjoy!

After a bit of discussion, Yuuri managed to convince Yakov to let Yurio stay the night, on the condition that he’d return to Lilia’s place within the week so they could begin putting together his new Free Skate. As promised, Yuuri didn’t breathe a word of their text conversation to Viktor, and even made him promise to refrain from teasing Yurio for the time being.

Yurio didn’t talk much for the rest of the day, so Yuuri and Viktor let him be, and hid away in their bedroom with Makkachin. (Makkachin didn’t appreciate being locked in one room, but Sasha kept chasing him, so they decided it was for the best.)

“You know,” Viktor said, looking up from his book, “Yurio crashing here… well, it totally ruined everything I had planned for the night.”

Yuuri, who had been lost in thought, glanced over at his fiancé quizzically. 

When it became apparent that Yuuri wasn’t going to come to the obvious conclusion on his own, Viktor flashed him a flirtatious wink. “The walls are so thin, though,” he sighed dramatically, “It’s such a shame.”

That helped click things into place for Yuuri. “Oh,” he breathed, and tried not to blush.

“It would have been amazing,” Viktor continued in a sultry tone, “Now that I know what you like, well, I would have blown your mind.”

Usually, Yuuri would be ready to hide under the bed at this point. He had no idea how Viktor could keep a straight face while saying such heated things. Tonight, though, his mind was someplace else. “Hey, Viktor,” Yuuri said, speaking slowly so he could choose the right words to voice his thoughts, “Would you still love me if—”

“Of course!” Viktor didn’t even let Yuuri finish. What a goofball.

Yuuri sat up so he could look down at Viktor. “I’m trying to ask a serious question here, Viktor.” He bit his lip, and waited for Viktor to understand that he meant it. “I’m just… wondering; if I never wanted to… if we never… would you still want to marry me?”

“If we never… what? Yuuri, you’re going to have to give me a hint, at least.”

Damn it all, Yuuri was an adult man of 24 years, he could use the _s_ word! Yuuri glanced at the door, hoping that the walls weren’t as thin as Viktor had suggested. He didn’t need Yurio overhearing this embarrassing conversation. “I was just thinking about when we first met,” Yuuri started, moving closer to Viktor so he could whisper, “Back then, I declared _katsudon_ was _eros_ to me, because I had no concept of… sexual love.”

He said it! He said the _s_ word! Yuuri mentally patted himself on the back.

“What I mean is…” Yuuri continued, placing a hand on Viktor’s chest, “I had crushes before, of course, but I had no desire to have… sex, with anyone. I didn’t mind being a virgin. I just… wasn’t interested in sex. And I wasn’t… until a bit before the Cup of China, I guess.”

Oh gosh, now Viktor was blinking at Yuuri as if he was speaking gibberish. “I don’t…” he said.

“I knew it wasn’t the norm,” Yuuri cut Viktor off, gathering courage to dig deep down inside himself, “In Detroit, I learned that the hard way. Phichit set me up on some blind dates, and most of them didn’t go well. They always wanted to get physical way too quickly. But when I told Phichit, thinking he’d be disappointed, he assured me that sexual attraction and romantic attraction aren’t always the same thing, and it was okay not to want sex. The people I dated didn’t always agree with that, though.”

Yuuri felt Viktor’s fingers touch the back of his hand, and he shut up immediately, afraid Viktor was judging him.

“Do you not want to have sex anymore?” Viktor murmured.

It took a second for Yuuri to completely process Viktor’s reaction. Viktor’s words were not malicious, and there was no hint of hurt on his face. He wasn’t judging Yuuri at all, but rather offering him a sincere choice. It was instantly clear that Yuuri’s fears had been unfounded. Of course, Viktor had said, and he had meant it. Of course he’d still love him.

Yuuri kissed Viktor, too choked up for a moment to trust his voice. When their lips parted, Yuuri couldn’t hold back his smile. “No, I want to,” Yuuri assured Viktor, “The closer we got, the more I wanted you. Not just to kiss or hold, but…” He swallowed hard.

Thankfully, Viktor didn’t make Yuuri say it. “Okay,” Viktor hummed, lips just barely brushing Yuuri’s as he spoke, “As long as you want to…”

“Not now!” Yuuri grabbed a pillow and smothered Viktor with it. “You just got done saying how Yurio is in the next room, and how the walls are thin!” When he pulled the pillow away to let his fiancé have some air, the Russian was in tears from laughter. “This isn’t funny,” Yuuri sputtered, “You can’t just _say_ things like that when we aren’t alone…”

\---

Around the same time Yuuri was smothering Viktor with a pillow, Leo woke up to a mouthful of teddy bear hair. 

“Wake up, sleepy head!” Guang Hong bounced on the hotel bed, making the mattress wobble underneath them. He pulled back his stuffed toy so Leo could breathe, and beamed down at him from where he sat, squatting over Leo’s thighs. Guang Hong’s hair was all mussed up, sticking out wildly in various directions.

Leo didn’t have the energy to respond just yet. It took him a moment to remember how he had ended up in this hotel room, in bed with Guang Hong. Then he remembered how tired he had been from staying up all night, and the pieces clicked into place in his mind.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Leo tried to say, but a yawn cut off his last word. How long had he been out, he wondered.

“We both fell asleep,” Guang Hong explained with an easygoing shrug, still clutching his teddy to his chest. The toy bear’s head was tucked up under Guang Hong’s chin. “Well, you fell asleep first, so I decided to take a quick nap, too. But I don’t want to sleep through my _entire_ birthday. So, c’mon! Let’s go out and do something!”

Leo sat up, looking around for his phone. When he unlocked it, he was relieved to find that it was only a little past noon. He still had time to make Guang Hong’s eighteenth birthday a day to remember.

“What do you want to do?” Leo asked, looking up from his phone and being momentarily taken aback by how _close_ Guang Hong’s face was. 

“I want to go to Hogwarts,” Guang Hong said.

“Huh?” Leo was still dumbfounded by the fact that their lips were mere inches apart, so he really wasn’t in the right mind to make sense of what his friend was saying. Guang Hong had said… Hogwarts, right? Like… the fictional wizarding school from Harry Potter. That Hogwarts?

The confusion must have been clear as day on his face, because Guang Hong laughed, loud and bright. “You know,” he chirped, “the one at Universal Studios.”

Oh, obviously. Leo wanted to smack himself, but refrained. “Oh. Sure, of course.”

He didn’t know what else to say. It was hard to think when he could – just barely – smell Guang Hong’s breath, slightly sour from his nap. Leo realized he probably had morning breath, too. And yet, he felt compelled to kiss Guang Hong, right then and there. The impulse was so strong that Leo’s fingers began to clench into fists, all of their own accord. It wasn’t clear if time was suddenly moving slower, or if Guang Hong was hesitating in pulling away. Maybe Guang Hong was working up the courage to kiss _him_. The thought stuck Leo like a bolt of electricity down his spine. The moment was thick with opportunity.

Then the moment was over, and Guang Hong hopped out of the bed. “Okay, let’s get ready,” he said, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened between them.

Leo struggled to survive the emotional whiplash. He felt as though he was stuck in slow motion, watching Guang Hong flutter around the room, pulling a comb through his hair with one hand as he scrambled to collect his things with the other. Then Guang Hong paused, and gave Leo a cheeky grin.

“Not falling back asleep on me, are you?” Guang Hong teased. Without allowing Leo time to respond, he grabbed Leo’s wrists and tugged him up to his feet.

At the warm touch, Leo slowly returned to reality. Once Guang Hong released him, Leo first headed towards the bathroom mirror. As he suspected, his long hair was a complete mess. Unlike Guang Hong, Leo didn’t have a comb on him, so he did his best to tease out the knots with his fingers. Unfortunately, that didn’t do anything to tame the cowlicks.

“Here, use my comb.” Guang Hong appeared in the mirror behind Leo, despite Leo not having heard him approaching. He placed the comb in Leo’s palm.

“Thanks,” Leo said, trying not to think about the fact that Guang Hong had just used it. It’s not like sharing a comb was super intimate or anything. It was stupid to get flustered over such a mundane thing, and yet here Leo was, fighting to keep a neutral expression.

Before Leo had time to recover from that, Guang Hong was pushing forward to stand in front of Leo. Leo watched, again frozen from Guang Hong’s proximity, as his friend emptied a small oblong bag onto the bathroom counter. The cosmetics spilled out, some of the tube-shaped ones rolling over each other. Guang Hong grabbed the eyeliner first, and then began to apply it, face almost pressed against the glass.

His movements were so ginger and exact, dabbing the point over the sensitive eyelid with intense precision. One finished, the dark colored line arched beautiful over the curve, ending in a sharp point towards his ear. Guang Hong paused to examine his work, and then switched to the other eye.

Leo became aware of how much he was gawking, from seeing his reflection make the most stupid looking face. He clamped his jaw shut and began combing his hair, though his eyes refused to stray from Guang Hong for too long.

“Do you like it?” Guang Hong peered up at Leo’s image in the mirror, looking infinitely more mischievous with the black strokes framing his eyes. “Phichit taught me how to put on makeup back during the Cup of China. You had a much earlier flight than him, so it was just the two of us. The first time, I make myself look like a raccoon. But I’ve been perfecting it since then. What do you think? Does it look as good as Phichit’s?”

Phichit wore makeup? Leo was so bad at noticing these things. Speaking of noticing things… he noticed that he had stopped breathing. How did breathing work, again? 

“Yeah, you’re looking swanky there, Guang Hong.” Leo heard himself speak, but couldn’t quite believe it. Had he really called Guang Hong _swanky_? Did he just transform into his father for a moment there? Why was the air suddenly so heavy in his lungs?

It certainly did not help that the hotel bathroom was not much larger than a phone booth. It wasn’t exactly cramped in there with Guang Hong, but it sure was cozy. Almost uncomfortably cozy, with its pristine, ridiculously fluffy towels and soothing, nautical themed decor. It was so _domestic_ , and here Guang Hong was, right in the middle of it all. This wasn’t an unstable skype call, a crowded public area, or a chilly ice rink. It was just the two of them, alone, in a cute little space, for the first time. (Last summer, Guang Hong had stayed with Leo’s family for a few weeks, but even then, they were never left alone together, due to the fact that Leo had an overabundance of nosy younger siblings.)

“Swanky?” Guang Hong repeated the word, and his nose crinkled adorably. “I’m not familiar with that slang word. Is it English or Spanish?”

“Uh. It’s English, but it’s a really old word. Forget I said that.”

“Hmm.” Guang Hong shrugged and returned to his makeup, pulling a small brush over his lashes to darken them. “I’m hoping it meant that I look good.”

“Better than good,” Leo said before he could stop himself, “You look fantastic.”

Guang Hong beamed, his cheeks filling with a pink. Between the soft blush and the eye makeup, Guang Hong could have passed for a girl. He’d be the prettiest damn girl Leo had ever seen.

Again, the words bubbled up in Leo’s throat. _I love you_ , he thought, half-hoping that Guang Hong would be able to hear it. Phichit was convinced that Guang Hong felt the same way, so why not take the risk? And besides, Leo always told Guang Hong everything else. There was something about having a friend half-way across the world. It was easier to be honest, and say everything he was thinking, even when it made him look like an awful human being. If they were so close, and they both felt the same way, what was the use in keeping these feelings bottled up?

“I,” Leo began, and then remembered they were in a _bathroom_. It was hardly the most ideal setting for a confession. “I can’t wait to see Hogwarts,” Leo finished lamely.

\---

 _russianicetiger_ has sent you a friend request.

Phichit had been scrolling through instagram while eating lunch when he received the notification. It wasn’t a particularly out of the ordinary occurrence. One of the downsides of putting himself out there on social media was that he got hounded with friend requests. Honestly, he had more friends on his instant messenger than he could realistically keep up with. He liked to give everyone a chance, though. If it turned out to be a creep, Phichit could always block them.

He accepted the friend request, and typed out a quick message with his free thumb.

 _phichitchu_ : hey there  
 _russianicetiger_ : yo. you’re phichit, right?  
 _phichitchu_ : thats me!  
 _phichitchu_ : and who might you be  
 _russianicetiger_ : its yuri plisetski.  
 _phichitchu_ : !!(◎o◎)!!  
 _phichitchu_ : whoa seriously?  
 _russianicetiger_ : yeah. katsudon gave me your username.  
 _phichitchu_ : oh!!  
 _phichitchu_ : does this mean you agreed to join our group chat?  
 _russianicetiger_ : um. no.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i didn’t even know you guys had one.  
 _phichitchu_ : (;O;)  
 _phichitchu_ : i asked him to ask you…  
 _russianicetiger_ : ok well i’m glad he didn’t.  
 _russianicetiger_ : because i would have said no.  
 _phichitchu_ : (:_;)  
 _russianicetiger_ : ANY. WAY.  
 _russianicetiger_ : this is about something else.  
 _russianicetiger_ : yuuri mentioned that you were a part of something back in detroit.  
 _phichitchu_ : oh yeah!  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri and i were a part of the skating club there together  
 _russianicetiger_ : no not that.  
 _russianicetiger_ : yuuri called it.  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck i forgot the acronym.  
 _russianicetiger_ : gas?  
 _phichitchu_ : the gsa?  
 _russianicetiger_ : yes. THAT.  
 _phichitchu_ : are you perhaps questioning your sexuality young padawan （￣ー￣）  
 _phichitchu_ : id love to help!!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : the fuck. is a padawan?  
 _phichitchu_ : nevermind that  
 _phichitchu_ : lets talk sexuality!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : ugh. why so excited? don’t tell me you’re a perv or something.  
 _phichitchu_ : no no!!  
 _phichitchu_ : well maybe a little (*^▽^*)  
 _phichitchu_ : a perv for open honest conversation about sexual identity!  
 _russianicetiger_ : wow. that was a lame thing to say.  
 _russianicetiger_ : moving on.  
 _phichitchu_ : (~_~)  
 _russianicetiger_ : i think sex is weird.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i don’t know why other people want it so much.  
 _phichitchu_ : oh!!  
 _phichitchu_ : so you think youre on the asexual spectrum?  
 _russianicetiger_ : the what now.  
 _phichitchu_ : people who are asexual do not experience sexual attraction  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i didn’t know there was a word for it.  
 _phichitchu_ : yeah theres a whole spectrum  
 _phichitchu_ : im demi aro myself  
 _phichitchu_ : that stands for demi aromantic  
 _phichitchu_ : that means i only feel romantic attraction to people i have a close emotional bond with  
 _russianicetiger_ : like yuuri?  
 _russianicetiger_ : he said he developed sexual feelings for viktor once they started dating  
 _phichitchu_ : !!!!  
 _phichitchu_ : so yuuri is demi ace?  
 _phichitchu_ : (≧∇≦)/  
 _phichitchu_ : he and i are practically twins now!  
 _russianicetiger_ : ace?  
 _phichitchu_ : oh its slang for asexual  
 _russianicetiger_ : this is all. very confusing.  
 _phichitchu_ : it can be overwhelming at first!  
 _russianicetiger_ : so i could be demi ace too?  
 _phichitchu_ : you could be!  
 _phichitchu_ : or you could be gray ace or just plain ace  
 _russianicetiger_ : gray?  
 _phichitchu_ : it means you feel attraction occasionally but not consistently  
 _russianicetiger_ : i don’t know which one i am.  
 _phichitchu_ : thats fine you dont need to figure it out all at once  
 _phichitchu_ : discovering your sexual identity should be a journey!  
 _russianicetiger_ : but i want to know. now.  
 _russianicetiger_ : but. it’s ok?  
 _russianicetiger_ : to be ace. i mean. it’s not childish to never want sex?  
 _phichitchu_ : its not childish at all!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : can i still. like. date people tho?  
 _phichitchu_ : of course! (/◕ヮ◕)/ <3 <3 <3  
 _russianicetiger_ : but. how?  
 _phichitchu_ : its like any other aspect of dating  
 _phichitchu_ : you just have to find someone that youre compatible with!  
 _phichitchu_ : (◡‿◡✿)  
 _russianicetiger_ : like. someone else who is ace?  
 _phichitchu_ : or someone who doesnt mind that you dont want sex  
 _russianicetiger_ : huh.  
 _russianicetiger_ : thanks. i guess.  
 _phichitchu_ : any time!  
 _phichitchu_ : were all taught that sexuality is a matter of three exclusive choices  
 _phichitchu_ : you like girls or you like guys or you like both  
 _phichitchu_ : but i think its unfair to simplify people like that  
 _phichitchu_ : humans are a lot more complex than that and that includes the ways in which we experience attraction and love  
 _russianicetiger_ : ugh.  
 _russianicetiger_ : you’re like a walking psa.  
 _russianicetiger_ : you should quit skating to become a professional lecturer.   
_phichitchu_ : (ʘ‿ʘ✿)  
 _russianicetiger_ : wow. that meme is so old.  
 _phichitchu_ : i was waiting for you to say something mean so i could use it lawl   
_phichitchu_ :（●＾o＾●）  
 _russianicetiger_ : wow.  
 _russianicetiger_ : you’re like the embodiment of second hand embarrassment.  
 _phichitchu_ : and youre like a kid who tries too hard to be edgy  
 _russianicetiger_ : touche.  
 _phichitchu_ : so hey!  
 _phichitchu_ : since were basically pals now do you want to join our group chat?  
 _russianicetiger_ : we’re not pals.  
 _russianicetiger_ : we’re barely acquaintances.  
 _phichitchu_ : wow how did otabek manage to become your friend?  
 _russianicetiger_ : that’s not any of your business.  
 _phichitchu_ : you didnt say no though  
 _phichitchu_ : i asked if you wanted to join and you didnt say no  
 _russianicetiger_ : did i need to?  
 _russianicetiger_ : i thought i made my opinion. abundantly. clear.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i have no desire to chat with a bunch of amateur skaters.  
 _phichitchu_ : you barely beat yuuri by less than half a point at the grand prix finals  
 _phichitchu_ : and im going to win the gold next year for sure  
 _russianicetiger_ : wow. cocky much?  
 _phichitchu_ : even you must realize how hypocritical that sounds coming from you  
 _russianicetiger_ : ok.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i guess you have a point there.  
 _phichitchu_ : so join!  
 _phichitchu_ : even just to scope out the competition  
 _russianicetiger_ : why the hell do you care so much if i join or not?  
 _phichitchu_ : any friend of yuuris is a friend of mine  
 _russianicetiger_ : cliché much?  
 _phichitchu_ : avoid answering the question much?  
 _russianicetiger_ : whatev.  
 _russianicetiger_ : if it will get you off my back.  
 _phichitchu_ : ( ゜∀゜) !!!!!!!!!!!!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : don’t gloat. or i’ll change my mind.  
 _russianicetiger_ : who else is in the chat?  
 _phichitchu_ : besides yuuri and me there is leo de la iglesia and guang hong ji  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh yeah your groupies. i could have guessed that.  
 _phichitchu_ : theyre not my groupies lmao  
 _phichitchu_ : theyre good friends  
 _phichitchu_ : now lets get you added to the group chat  
 _russianicetiger_ : now?  
 _phichitchu_ : no time like the present

\---

 _phichitchu_ invited _russianicetiger_ to chat log _friendship training_

 _russianicetiger_ : FRIENDHSIP. TRAINING?  
 _russianicetiger_ : i DO NOT need friendship training you horse’s ass.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Yuri? why are you here?  
 _phichitchu_ : i invited him!  
 _phichitchu_ : also the friendship training is for the other yuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m surprised you agreed to join the group chat, Yuri  
 _russianicetiger_ : yeah well. phichit wouldn’t stop bugging me until i said yes.  
 _russianicetiger_ : and i don’t have anything better to do.  
 _phichitchu_ : oh!!  
 _phichitchu_ : that reminds me  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri i hear that you might be demi ace??  
 _katsukiyuu_ : uhhh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : which one was that again?  
 _phichitchu_ : the one where you only feel sexual attraction to people youre super emotionally close with!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh well then yeah, I guess I am demi ace  
 _phichitchu_ : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Demisexual_Flag.jpg  
 _phichitchu_ : (/◕ヮ◕)/ tada!!   
_katsukiyuu_ : what is that?  
 _phichitchu_ : its your flag!!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : there’s a flag for that?  
 _phichitchu_ : theres a flag for you too yuri p  
 _phichitchu_ : http://www.asexualityarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/AceFlag.png  
 _phichitchu_ : <3 <3 \\(≧∇≦)/ <3 <3  
 _kastukiyuu_ : wow, you’re really happy about this  
 _phichitchu_ : of course!  
 _phichitchu_ : we’re not the only aroace spectrum identifying people in our friend group anymore!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : it’s not that big of a deal.  
 _guanghongstar_ : whoaaaaaa  
 _guanghongstar_ : yuri plisetski heyyyyyyyy~  
 _guanghongstar_ : im guang hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : im not sure if you remember me or not but we competed in the juniors division together the past few years  
 _russianicetiger_ : of course i remember you.  
 _russianicetiger_ : you surprised everyone by winning gold at the rostelecom cup two years ago. even tho you bombed at skate america.  
 _guanghongstar_ : ahaha yeaaahhhh  
 _guanghongstar_ : that was me ;_;  
 _russianicetiger_ : i was humiliated. everyone assumed that id place first in russia.  
 _guanghongstar_ : at least you made it into the finals…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : that’s all in the past now, though;;;  
 _phichitchu_ : yeah lets not fight this is supposed to be a friendly supportive chat  
 _phichitchu_ : guang hong where is leo btw  
 _guanghongstar_ : he ran out to grab us some takeout for dinner  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I thought he was taking you out someplace?  
 _guanghongstar_ : that was the original plan buuuuuuuuuuut  
 _guanghongstar_ : im EXHAUSTED  
 _guanghongstar_ : we spent the day at universal studios~  
 _phichitchu_ : DID YOU GO SEE HOGWARTS  
 _katsukiyuu_ : holy shit Phichit;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : yup ^_^  
 _guanghongstar_ : it was sooooooo much fun  
 _phichitchu_ : im so jelly (*_*)  
 _russianicetiger_ : nerds.  
 _phichitchu_ : hey harry potter is mainstream now edgy mcedgelord  
 _guanghongstar_ : LMFAO  
 _phichitchu_ : guang hong im going to need all the juicy details  
 _guanghongstar_ : dont worry i took sooooooo many pics~  
 _guanghongstar_ : im gonna go thru them all and post the ones i like best to instagram  
 _phichitchu_ : i cant wait \\(*^0^*)/  
 _russianicetiger_ : why are you in america anyway?  
 _russianicetiger_ : did you move your rink again?  
 _guanghongstar_ : no im on a vacation of sorts  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s Guang Hong’s birthday  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh.  
 _guanghongstar_ : LEO IS BACK WITH FOOOOOOOOOOD~  
 _guanghongstar_ : thank goodness im so hungry ;O;  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey guys :-)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I see our group has a new member  
 _russianicetiger_ : yo.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I dont think weve ever properly met before  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Im Leo de la Iglesia  
 _russianicetiger_ : i know who you are.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Its generally considered good manners to introduce yourself in return :-)  
 _guanghongstar_ : omfggggggg  
 _russianicetiger_ : yuri plisetski.  
 _russianicetiger_ : but you already knew that.  
 _guanghongstar_ leo where did you pick up that sass  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I learned from the best  
 _leoofthechurch_ : My mom is a master of that good ol passive aggressive Catholic guilt  
 _guanghongstar_ : #bless  
 _phichitchu_ : i need to meet your mom sometime leo  
 _guanghongstar_ : you should!  
 _guanghongstar_ : mama de la iglesia is the best <3  
 _guanghongstar_ : when i stayed with leos family last summer she made authentic mexican food every night~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hahaha yeah she goes all out when we have guests over  
 _phichitchu_ : whoa (@_@)  
 _phichitchu_ : that sounds so good wow  
 _russianicetiger_ : wait. does that mean you two.  
 _russianicetiger_ : are you two dating?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Yuri! that’s not a polite thing to ask;;;  
 _guanghongstar_ : >///<  
 _guanghongstar_ : were not dating…  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh ok.  
 _russianicetiger_ : good.  
 _phichitchu_ : good??? (`ヘ´)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Yuri, you’re being very rude;;  
 _russianicetiger_ : i guess it doesn’t really matter either way. there’s no way those numbskulls still remember a bet we made three years ago.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : What bet? :-/  
 _russianicetiger_ : guang hong do you remember yuuto and his friends? somehow they always ended up at the same competitions. which i only knew about because they had to brag about it all the damn time.  
 _guanghongstar_ : oh yeah…  
 _guanghongstar_ : didnt you hang out with them for a while?  
 _russianicetiger_ : not really. i sure as fuck wasn’t one of them or anything.  
 _russianicetiger_ : sometimes they hung out around me, tho.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : isn’t that kind of the same thing…  
 _russianicetiger_ : shut. it.  
 _guanghongstar_ : did they make a bet about me and leo getting together? ;_;  
 _russianicetiger_ : they were always making gambles over stupid shit. like who would win gold in what event or who would flub a jump first.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i participated sometimes. easy way to make some extra money.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : that doesn’t sound like very ethnical behavior…  
 _russianicetiger_ : well i was only thirteen at the time. i didn’t even fully understand what was going on.   
_russianicetiger_ : i stopped once i lost a large chunk of money at the rostelecom cup.  
 _phichitchu_ : wait did you…  
 _phichitchu_ : bet on yourself winning the gold?  
 _guanghongstar_ : wow o_o;  
 _russianicetiger_ : hey. i was young and stupid ok?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : So what was the bet?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : About Guang Hong?  
 _russianicetiger_ : ugh. something embarrassing. i probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.  
 _phichitchu_ : you cant just leave us hanging like that…  
 _guanghongstar_ : idk if i want to know ;_;  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I want to know  
 _guanghongstar_ : o///o,  
 _guanghongstar_ : you do?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Yeah  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok i admit im curious too…  
 _guanghongstar_ : what was it?  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck. whatever if you REALLY want to know.  
 _russianicetiger_ : it was common knowledge that you were always hanging out with older kids. and i guess? they were jealous or some shit.  
 _russianicetiger_ : so they started some pretty nasty rumors.  
 _russianicetiger_ : about how you were in love with one of them. and that’s the real reason why you didn’t hang with people of your own age.  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo is only a year and a half older than me though… o_o;  
 _russianicetiger_ : i know. idk like i said they were just jealous.  
 _russianicetiger_ : they wanted to be the ones to hang out with phichit and leo.  
 _russianicetiger_ : anyway.  
 _russianicetiger_ : while everyone in the group accepted the rumors, they kind of got split up on the details.  
 _russianicetiger_ : yuuto thought the one you liked was leo.  
 _russianicetiger_ : a couple other guys argued that you were into phichit.  
 _russianicetiger_ : so whoever you ended up dating. that’s what would settle win the bet.  
 _phichitchu_ : wait i was a part of this bet too?  
 _leoofthechurch_ : What  
 _guanghongstar_ : so you bet id end up with phichit???!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : no way. i bet that you wouldn’t be able to get a date with either of them.  
 _phichitchu_ : damn   
_phichitchu_ : thats cold hearted (;;ʘ‿ʘ)  
 _phichitchu_ : #wrecked  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Wow  
 _guanghongstar_ : i was right…  
 _guanghongstar_ : i really DID NOT want to know that ;_;  
 _russianicetiger_ : sorry.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (;;￣m￣)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I think a change of topic is in order…  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah…  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Wait  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Why did some of them think Guang Hong was into Phichit?  
 _russianicetiger_ : idk i guess because they knew each other longer?  
 _phichitchu_ : thats a stupid reason…  
 _russianicetiger_ : and guang hong was always talking about him.  
 _phichitchu_ : he was?  
 _russianicetiger_ : it was always phichit told me this. phichit taught me that. did you know phichit wears stage makeup on the ice like a broadway actor would. did you know phichit memorized every single line of mean girls. did you know he takes singing lessons.  
 _russianicetiger_ : guang hong always was an obnoxious fan first and a skater second.  
 _guanghongstar_ : HEY >_<*  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Yuri!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : that was really mean and uncalled for  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m just repeating what they said about him.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : You still need to apologize  
 _russianicetiger_ : right. i’m sorry, guang hong.  
 _russianicetiger_ : besides, we all have a dark and embarrassing past. i used to socialize with a bunch of immature bullies. and blew my first few paychecks on stupid bets.  
 _russianicetiger_ : trust me. i have way more things to be ashamed of than you do.  
 _phichitchu_ : that was surprisingly heartwarming (＾◇＾)  
 _guanghongstar_ : yeah it was… thank you for saying all that yuri ^o^  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I still can’t believe you used to gamble on your competitors;;;  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Hey our food is getting cold  
 _guanghongstar_ : oh yeah!  
 _guanghongstar_ : its really hard to eat this stuff one handed  
 _guanghongstar_ : we should say goodbye for now  
 _phichitchu_ : goodbye!!!!  
 _phichitchu_ : enjoy your date!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : PHICHIT  
 _phichitchu_ : their dinner date  
 _phichitchu_ : their entirely platonic dinner date as two close platonic friends  
 _russianicetiger_ : what’s this nonsense?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s nothing, Phichit likes to be a brat  
 _russianicetiger_ : hmm.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : anyway, goodbye Leo and Guang Hong!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday, Guang Hong  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (＾－＾)  
 _guanghongstar_ : thank you~  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Talk to you all later  
 _russianicetiger_ : im gonna head off too. i haven’t taken a shower yet and my armpits smell like shit.  
 _phichitchu_ : ew?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hey we were just about to get in the shower (=_=)  
 _russianicetiger_ : we?  
 _phichitchu_ : YUURI OH MY GAWD  
 _russianicetiger_ : fucking hell.  
 _russianicetiger_ : i SO did not need to know that.  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri wow (*^▽^*)  
 _phichitchu_ : #viktuuri #ishipit  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I meant *I* was about to take a shower  
 _phichitchu_ : sure jan (￣ー￣)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it was a TYPO;;  
 _russianicetiger_ : wow.  
 _russianicetiger_ : nevermind. im sure as fuck not showering here ever again.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s not like that;;; (>///<)  
 _phichitchu_ : viktor and yuuri sitting in the shower  
 _phichitchu_ : k i s s i n g  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck off i don’t need that mental image.  
 _russianicetiger_ : bye sickos.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit you’re so mean (Ｔ▽Ｔ)  
 _phichitchu_ : lmao


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, look at the surge in comments I've gotten in the past week! I feel so happy that people are enjoying my fic. 
> 
> This chapter is less about Yuuri, and more about Yurio, Phichit, and Leo. We'll get back to Yuuri's POV in the next chapter. Although this fic doesn't really have a well-defined overarching plot, the culmination of Yuuri's training is going to be tested in the next few chapters. Chapter ten will be the unofficial end chapter, but I have two epilogue-ish chapters in mind that'll take place after that.
> 
> Please enjoy!

It was about time to start heading back to Lilia’s place, Yuri decided. He regretted making such a mess in the living room. Not wanting to leave anything behind, Yuri kept rechecking the area, in the closet and under the couch, ensuring he wasn’t missing anything. Once he was satisfied that he had packed everything he had brought over to Viktor’s apartment, Yuri pulled on his coat. 

Unfortunately, Sasha was nowhere to be found. His mischievous feline had been the smallest of her litter, and was thus very adept at discovering masterful hiding places. Looking for her was futile. Yuri grumbled, and got out a bag of treats, shaking them loudly.

“C’mon, Sasha,” Yuri called out between shakes, “Come on out, _kotik_.”

Instead of attracting Sasha’s attention, Yuri managed to attract Viktor’s instead. He came out of his room, Yuuri barely a step behind him. Viktor was holding a bundle of clean clothes, as was Yuuri, causing Yuri to remember the online conversation he had just a few minutes ago.

“You’re already leaving?” Viktor asked, glancing between Yuri and his packed suitcase. “I was going to make _syrniki_ with jam for breakfast.”

That… didn’t sound half bad. Viktor was a surprisingly decent cook, when he didn’t accidentally burn the food. But Yuri knew he wouldn’t enjoy the meal as well as he could have. Though he had rinsed the snot and tears off his face earlier, he still felt gross. He just wanted to lock himself away in a nice, hot shower, and forget about everything.

“Yeah,” Yuri replied, glancing about to see if Sasha had come out of hiding yet. No such luck. “I smell and feel like shit,” Yuri added in explanation, “and there’s no way I’m using your shower. I know you two _shower together_.”

Viktor doesn’t look nearly as scandalized as he should be. “Yuuri and I used to bathe in the _onsen_ together all the time,” he replied dumbly.

“Plus, we _are_ engaged,” Yuuri added, though his face flushed at saying it.

“We _are_ engaged, aren’t we?” There was that obnoxious lovesick expression on Viktor’s face again. He squirmed in place like a flustered schoolgirl. “Not that I had forgotten, but— Oh, I never get tired of hearing you say that, _shekastik_.”

Yuri stuck out his tongue, but they were already lost in their own sappy world. 

Yuuri had a hand covering a smile that was equally as ridiculous as his fiancé’s. “It’s nice to say, too,” he honest to god _giggled_.

Thankfully, Sasha had finally crawled out of hiding. Yuri sent her a telepathic _thank you_ , and scattered some treats across the floor for her. “Okay, this is getting _way_ too mushy-gushy for me,” Yuri announced to the fawning couple, not even bothering to look to see if they were paying attention, “I’m leaving the two of you alone before all this second-hand embarrassment puts me in a coma.”

He scooped Sasha up into his arms, and made a beeline for the front door. If Viktor or Yuuri called out to stop him, they didn’t protest loud enough for Yuri to hear them. They were probably too absorbed getting lost in each other’s eyes or something.

Unfortunately for Yuri, he was jumping from the frying pan into the fire, metaphorically speaking. He didn’t get two feet from Viktor’s front door before bumping into a familiar face.

“Mila?” Yuri leaped backwards, having almost barreled right into her chest. He felt Sasha’s claws dig into his arm through his jacket, startled by the sudden quick movement. Mila looked just as surprised as Yuri did, her hand raised and halfway into forming a fist. She had just been about to knock on the door, Yuri realized.

Mila was frozen for a second, before an uncharacteristically sad expression crossed her face. “So you were staying over at Viktor’s,” she said, and dropped her arm.

“Hello to you, too,” Yuri hissed. The dull ache in Yuri’s chest turned piercing the longer he looked at her, so he pet Sasha’s frazzled fur back to help calm both himself and his cat. As the initial shock continued to wear off, Yuri’s temper flared back to life. “And why were you stalking me?”

Even Yuri knew that was uncalled for, even as he was saying it. He was the one who had been avoiding Mila for a few days now, both online and during practice. 

Mila didn’t try to deny it, though. Instead, she gave Yuri a look that was rich with sympathy. Somehow, that only spurred on Yuri’s anger. “I wanted to talk to you,” Mila explained, forcing on a smile as if she was trying to comfort him, “Can we? Talk, I mean.”

Guilt and fury wrestled together in Yuri’s gut. Rationally, he knew Mila didn’t deserve his rage, but jealousy was such a powerful emotion.

“Yeah,” Yuri decided after a moment of thought, “Yeah, we can talk.”

\---

It was an awkward walk back to Lilia’s house, as Yuri refused to discuss the matter until they were safe behind closed doors. There was a high probability that he was going to tear up, and like hell he was going to be caught crying in public like the Japanese Yuuri.

Yakov wanted to talk to him, of course, but Mila managed to defuse the situation so that they could slink off to the guest room he had been staying in.

Once the door was locked and Sasha was put down, Yuri let out a breath and faced his longtime rinkmate. For years, she had treated him as a baby brother, teasing him as often as she coddled him. Though she was a source of constant irritation in Yuri’s life, he didn’t want to lose her companionship, especially not over something as cliché as this. Love triangles, Yuri thought, were stupid. Romantic drama, in general, was stupid.

Before Yuri could express the rather profound conclusion he had come to, though, Mila beat him to the punch.

“I know you like Otabek,” Mila began, as she paced in a small circle, “I mean, I didn’t know right away. Otherwise, I would have never…” It was unusual to see Mila so flustered, so much so that Yuri’s reply suddenly died on his tongue. “It became obvious,” Mila continued, “after a while. The way you cringe when I say his name. The way you always change the topic whenever we start flirting. Yura, I’m sorry for being so dense.”

Just the other day, Yuri might have been satisfied with Mila’s sincere apology. But now, he just felt vaguely ill. It wasn’t Mila’s fault.

“Don’t fucking tell me you’re sorry, _baba_ ,” Yuri scolded her, and then allowed himself to give her an honest smile. She returned his smile, thank god. Yuri couldn’t stand seeing her so downhearted, so different from her usual chipper self. “I hate to be the one to say this, but you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the jackass who has been throwing temper tantrums over his unrequited feelings, like some goddamn soap opera character. Yeah, it sucks for me, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy with Otabek.”

Yuri wasn’t sure what he had said, because suddenly the smile was wiped from Mila’s face and replaced with an open-jawed gape. 

Oh, he realized, it wasn’t about anything he had said. Yuri swiftly became acutely aware that there were tears running down his cheeks. (See, he thought to himself darkly, he had been right. He knew it was a high probability that he’d end up crying.)

Mila strode forward and grasped Yuri to her bosom, fingers tangling into his hair. “Oh, Yuri,” she murmured.

Somehow, those words had magically opened the floodgates in Yuri’s eyes. He fell into her embrace, sobs punching against his lungs. He was surprised that he could still cry so much after last night, but apparently his tear ducts had not dried up as he hoped they had. His quick, heavy breaths gave him the hiccups, and Yuri couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so vulnerable.

Soon, all of Yuri’s anger and pain had subsided into exhaustion. He became aware that Mila was softly sniffling along with him, and squeezed her tighter, despite the fact that he was already partly suffocating with his face buried in her shirt.

When they pulled apart, Yuri realized that they were sitting on his bed. Mila must have navigated them there while he was distracted with his sobfest. 

Yuri rubbed at his eyes and nose with his sleeve, desperate to hide all hints of his breakdown.

“You’ve been bundling up these feelings for a while, huh?” Mila asked, a touch of her signature mischievous humor laced into the question. It was a relief to hear her sound more like herself. “I know you’re only fifteen, Yuri, but can you at least _try_ to be a little less emo?”

Yuri pushed her away, lighter than he normally would. She wrapped him back up in her arms with ease. “Shut up,” Yuri whined, too emotionally drained to put on a tough act, “I know for a fact that you were way worse when you were my age. And don’t you dare tell anyone that I bawled in your arms like a fucking five year old, _baba_ , or I will spill the beans about your scene kid phrase.”

“You’re so mean,” Mila mock-whined in return. Then she pulled him against her shoulder and nuzzled her face into his hair. “I won’t tell a soul. Not even Beka.”

“Beka and baba,” Yuri mused, “I guess your names do sound nice together. Just… for the love of god, please don’t turn into a nauseatingly lovey-dovey couple like Viktor and Yuuri. I’d like to hang out with the both of you without having to watch you two eye-fuck each other the entire time.”

Mila giggled at that. “I promise, there will be no eye-fucking when you’re around.”

\---

 _phichitchu_ : yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuri  
 _phichitchu_ : are you online  
 _phichitchu_ : i know it’s the weekend but  
 _phichitchu_ : can you stop like  
 _phichitchu_ : sucking face with viktor for one minute and get on your phone  
 _katsukiyuu_ : um  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri!!  
 _phichitchu_ : i need to talk to someone (*_*;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I wasn’t “sucking face” with Viktor, as you so crudely put it  
 _katsukiyuu_ : wait, what’s wrong?  
 _phichitchu_ : ugh nothing  
 _phichitchu_ : everything  
 _phichitchu_ : im so confused (Q_Q)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : what’s going on?  
 _phichitchu_ : well  
 _phichitchu_ : its kind of personal  
 _phichitchu_ : and of a romantic nature  
 _phichitchu_ : i know that kind of talk makes you uncomfortable but  
 _phichitchu_ : i could really use your help!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : of course I’ll help!   
_katsukiyuu_ : you have to tell me what’s wrong first though  
 _phichitchu_ : ok ok  
 _phichitchu_ : (~_~;)  
 _phichitchu_ : its so hard to say  
 _phichitchu_ : or well  
 _phichitchu_ : type  
 _phichitchu_ : hahaha (^_^;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : stop with the emoticons and just tell me what’s going on!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (*￣m￣)  
 _phichitchu_ : uhhhhhhhhhhhhg  
 _phichitchu_ : its about what russian yuri said about guang hong and the bet  
 _katsukiyuu_ : okay?  
 _phichitchu_ : about the boys who thought guang hong and i would end up together…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh, is it making your friendship with him weird?  
 _phichitchu_ : no not that i can tell  
 _phichitchu_ : (ーー゛)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : are you saying that you like Guang Hong?  
 _phichitchu_ : (◎///◎;)  
 _phichitchu_ : i dont know!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : huh  
 _phichitchu_ : i was always positive that guang hong had a crush on leo  
 _phichitchu_ : so i never thought about him liking me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but now you’re thinking about it?  
 _phichitchu_ : (;+_+)  
 _phichitchu_ : yes…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : oh, no  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Leo asked me for advice about Guang Hong  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and I told him to be honest about his feelings;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry, Phichit  
 _phichitchu_ : dont be sorry!  
 _phichitchu_ : thats what i would have told him too  
 _phichitchu_ : ive wanted them to get together for so long…  
 _phichitchu_ : thats what i do you know  
 _phichitchu_ : i push my friends into getting romantically involved so i can live vicariously through their relationships  
 _phichitchu_ : since i have a hard time distinguishing a romance crush from a friend crush  
 _phichitchu_ : i think i just exist perpetually in this weird middle ground  
 _phichitchu_ : where i would totally date the friends i have but im also happy just being friends if thats what they want  
 _katsukiyuu_ : well, that makes sense  
 _katsukiyuu_ : since you’re on the aromantic spectrum  
 _phichitchu_ : yeah but its annoying!!  
 _phichitchu_ : at some point all my close friends will be paired off and ill have to make some new friends to develop deep platonic bonds with  
 _phichitchu_ : if i ever want a chance at romance that is  
 _phichitchu_ : otherwise ill spend my life as the eternal third wheel  
 _phichitchu_ : (T_T)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : wow  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you’ve clearly thought about this a lot  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m sorry, Phichit  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I feel like I haven’t been a good friend to you lately  
 _katsukiyuu_ : since this is the first time I’ve heard about this  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but I’m here now!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and I will help you find love, I promise  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri…  
 _phichitchu_ : (T‿T)  
 _phichitchu_ : youre the best friend a guy could ask for!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : no, that’s definitely you  
 _katsukiyuu_ : now it’s just time for me to repay your kindness  
 _phichitchu_ : (´∀`)  
 _phichitchu_ : thank you yuuri  
 _phichitchu_ : and thank you for listening  
 _phichitchu_ : it was nice to finally get that off my chest  
 _katsukiyuu_ : so will you be okay, if Leo and Guang Hong get together?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : be honest  
 _phichitchu_ : i think so  
 _phichitchu_ : they would be such a cute couple  
 _phichitchu_ : i hate to say this…  
 _phichitchu_ : but they might turn out to be even cuter than you and viktor  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ahaha!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t know, maybe  
 _phichitchu_ : lol!!  
 _phichitchu_ : you totally think you and viktor are the cutest couple in the world i bet  
 _katsukiyuu_ : that’s not what I meant;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but I don’t know…  
 _katsukiyuu_ : maybe we are?  
 _phichitchu_ : ヽ(^o^)丿 lmaoooooo  
 _phichitchu_ : i love how viktor brings out your inner sass  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (≧∇≦;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I guess he does…  
 _phichitchu_ : ahhhhhh i want what you have <3  
 _katsukiyuu_ : you will, I’ll make it happen  
 _phichitchu_ : hopefully it will happen sometime soon!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’ll do the best I can  
 _phichitchu_ : no rush but  
 _phichitchu_ : please hurry!!! (ToT)/~~~

\---

Things had been awkward between them ever since the group chat. Guang Hong had tried to make conversation, but Leo kept getting distracted by what they had just learned. Perhaps he was just too sleep deprived, but the idea that Guang Hong had actually been crushing on Phichit this whole time was starting to make more and more sense. It was Phichit who had gotten Guang Hong addicted to social media. It was Phichit who Guang Hong took most of his selfies with. And it was Phichit who taught Guang Hong how to put on eye makeup.

“Leo?” Guang Hong asked, startling Leo out of his mental down-spiral. “Leo, are you okay? You’re spacing out more than usual.”

Leo had never been good about hiding his feelings. He regretted that they were talking face to face. If this had been a text conversation, or even a facechat, it would be easy for Leo to voice his worries… to just ask Guang Hong ‘Do you have a crush on Phichit?’ At least then, Leo could pretend that there would be no awkward consequences. But here, sitting on the same bed as Guang Hong, Leo could pretend no such thing.

“This is about what Yuri said, isn’t it?” Surprisingly, Guang Hong was either a mind reader or an insanely good guesser. “About the bet those kids made.”

“Yeah.” There was no point in lying about it, Leo supposed.

Guang Hong twisted his position on the bed so he was no longer looking straight at Leo, but rather towards the TV they was broadcasting a music video from the 90’s in the background. “It’s been bothering me, too,” Guang Hong admitted, “I was shocked by how accurate their predictions were. I didn’t know I was being that obvious.”

How accurate… _what_ predictions were? Leo’s head swam with possibilities. “What predictions?” Leo asked, and then added boldly, “The one about you crushing on Phichit?”

Oh crap, Leo hadn’t meant to sound quite so accusatory.

Guang Hong whirled to look Leo in the eyes. Leo had never been good at reading expressions, but if he had to guess, he’d say that Guang Hong looked like a mix of relief and constipation. 

“You…” Guang Hong started, “Wait. I’m confused now.” He tucked his bangs behind an ear, and sighed. “Okay, we’re clearly not on the same page,” Guang Hong said, “Let’s start from the beginning. I thought you were upset because I liked you, and you didn’t want things to become awkward between us.”

“You like me?” Leo completely forgot everything else Guang Hong had said before and after that. He felt like cheering. “I was so sure that you liked Phichit.”

“O-oh.” 

Leo had never seen Guang Hong’s face this shade of neon pink before. It was a good look for him. Not that Leo got to see much of it, as Guang Hong almost immediately hid his face into his hands. Then Guang Hong was mumbling into his palms, but Leo couldn’t understand him.

As delicately as he could, Leo tugged Guang Hong’s hands away from his mouth. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I… do. I do kind of like Phichit.”

Leo felt dizzy from all the emotional whiplash. Didn’t Guang Hong just say he liked Leo? Maybe this was a weird dream?

“I like Phichit, too,” Guang Hong clarified, tear droplets starting to form in the corners of his eyes, “I get crushes a lot. But I just assumed I didn’t have a chance with you _or_ Phichit. It seemed as likely as me dating _Viktor Nikiforov_. So I tried not to let my feelings get in the way of our friendship. I had no idea… You like me too, don’t you?”

 _Only since my junior days_ , Leo thought but did not say. Instead, he merely answered, “Yeah, I do.”

“But you took a girl to prom last year,” Guang Hong whined.

“Bi,” Leo said, “I’m bi.” He suddenly laughed, hit with the absurdity of the situation. “You thought I was straight? Guang Hong, _all_ my friends are some form of queer. Just last summer, we spent an hour gushing about how hot Zayn Malik is together.”

Guang Hong shrugged, playing it casual though even Leo could see how flustered he was. “Everyone thinks Zayn Malik is hot,” he argued.

Leo couldn’t stop laughing, and soon Guang Hong was giggling, too. 

“I didn’t want to make our friendship weird by telling you I liked you,” Leo confessed once they had both settled down, “There were times when I thought you liked me back, but then again you have always been so nice to everyone. I thought I was mistaking your natural kindness for romantic feelings.”

Guang Hong weaved their fingers together, clasping Leo’s hands between his own like a prayer. “You weren’t mistaken,” he said simply.

Well, there was clearly no reason to keep swallowing the words back any longer. Leo felt the size of his smile hurting his cheeks, and by the looks of it, Guang Hong was in a similar situation. Leo tipped forward slightly and whispered, “Guang Hong, I love you.”

Leo wasn’t expecting Guang Hong to say it back immediately. He also hadn’t been expecting Guang Hong to jump into his arms and kiss him.

And yet, that was exactly what happened.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fic is nearing its end! Yuuri's 'friendship training' is put to the test when he's forced to face one of his worst fears: formal social gatherings! 
> 
> I know a lot of people commented on the previous chapter about wanting certain ships. However, all endgame ships for this fic are listed in the tags, so I'm sorry if I can't implement different ones at this point. Otayuri is cute, but I'm more invested in exploring Yuuri and Yurio's platonic relationships right now. (Not to mention that I'm not sure if Yurio is quite mature enough for a serious romantic relationship quite yet. Let's let him grow up a bit more, okay?)
> 
> That's why my fic is more focused on the group chat, and less on victuuri moments. (Though, I ended up sprinkling more in than I intended to, but that's just because victuuri is too precious of a ship to resist.)
> 
> I hope you continue to read and enjoy this fic irregardless!

_guanghongstar_ : hey yuuri are you finally awake yet?  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuuuuri wake up!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : what’s this about?  
 _guanghongstar_ : i have a pretty big announcement to make~  
 _phichitchu_ : yeah and he wouldnt tell me privately  
 _guanghongstar_ : nope!  
 _guanghongstar_ : this is a group chat kind of announcement!!  
 _russianicetiger_ : why. the hell. is everyone awake so early?  
 _russianicetiger_ : go back to bed you heathens.  
 _guanghongstar_ : its early evening in LA rn  
 _phichitchu_ : and its eight in the am over here in bangkok!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : You can always mute the chat  
 _russianicetiger_ : i don’t know how.  
 _phichitchu_ : leo youre here too!  
 _phichitchu_ : tho i have a sneaking suspicion that you already know (￣ー￣)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Aha yeah I do  
 _russianicetiger_ : ugh. where is the mute thnigy.  
 _phichitchu_ : mute thnigy  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I dont know Yuri…  
 _leoofthechurch_ : You may want to stick around and hear what Guang Hong has to say  
 _russianicetiger_ : i doubt it.  
 _phichitchu_ : ooooooooh tell us tell us!!  
 _phichitchu_ : everyone is here  
 _katsukiyuu_ : i’m really only half here  
 _katsukiyuu_ : though i’ll be awake shortly once viktor’s annoying alarm goes off  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (;=_=)  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m going back to bed. tell me later.  
 _phichitchu_ : did you figure out how to mute the chat?  
 _russianicetiger_ : no i’ll just put my phone on silent.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I wouldnt do that  
 _leoofthechurch_ : If you also set an alarm to wake you up later  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh shit.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : And again  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I think youll want to hear this ;-)  
 _russianicetiger_ : ok whatev. just make it quick.  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok~  
 _guanghongstar_ : so here is the big announcement:  
 _guanghongstar_ : as of last night…  
 _guanghongstar_ : leo and i are…  
 _guanghongstar_ : OFFICIALLY DATING <3  
 _leoofthechurch_ : <3  
 _russianicetiger_ : what.  
 _phichitchu_ : (/◕ヮ◕)/~☆  
 _phichitchu_ : fiANALLY  
 _katsukiyuu_ : congrats, you two  
 _phichitchu_ : CONGRATULATIONS  
 _phichitchu_ : i feel like ive been waiting for this my whole life  
 _guanghongstar_ : ahaha!!  
 _guanghongstar_ : me too >///<  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Me three :-)  
 _phichitchu_ : <3 <3 <3 <3 <3  
 _phichitchu_ : #leoji #ishipit #mynewotp  
 _phichitchu_ : #sorryyuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : hahaha!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : guang hong and leo, sorry in advance  
 _katsukiyuu_ : be prepared for phichit to link you to some really weird fanfics  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Whats a fanfic  
 _guanghongstar_ : O///O  
 _guanghongstar_ : phichit pls dont  
 _phichitchu_ : oh cmon theyre funny!  
 _phichitchu_ : but i wont link you to anything explicit if that skeeves you out  
 _russianicetiger_ : what is this conversation.  
 _russianicetiger_ : and why did i want to know that in the first place.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Because of the bet  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :-)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : I was considering contacting Yuuto  
 _leoofthechurch_ : So he can collect his winnings  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck you.  
 _guanghongstar_ : r00d  
 _guanghongstar_ : dont be mean to my boyfriend  
 _leoofthechurch_ : :#)  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Thanks boyfriend  
 _phichitchu_ : awwwwwwww <3  
 _phichitchu_ : #leojimoment #relationshipgoals  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh no.  
 _russianicetiger_ : oh hell no.  
 _russianicetiger_ : if you two start flirting. i am quitting this group chat.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : als;djad  
 _russianicetiger_ : um.  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri did you die  
 _katsukiyuu_ : no, sorry  
 _katsukiyuu_ : viktor’s alarm went off and startled me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I dropped my phone on my face… (;=_=)  
 _russianicetiger_ : lol.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Viktor said to say congrats to Leo and Guang Hong  
 _guanghongstar_ : viktor   
_guanghongstar_ : said my name???? O///O  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Omg Guang Hong youre too cute  
 _russianicetiger_ : barf.  
 _katsukiyuu_ : ok I have to get ready   
_katsukiyuu_ : talk to everyone later!  
 _phichitchu_ : bye yuuri!!!  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Tell Viktor we said thanks :-)  
 _russianicetiger_ : i’m outtie too.  
 _russianicetiger_ : and don’t ever spam this chat with messages at five in the morning again.  
 _russianicetiger_ : or i’ll fly out to both bangkok and california and see how you like your head being vibrated awake at fuck o clock.  
 _phichitchu_ : vibrated awake?  
 _russianicetiger_ : my phone was under my pillow.  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Then… dont sleep on your phone?  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck you.  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck everyone in this chat. but an extra fuck you to you specifically.  
 _phichitchu_ : i love all the positivity you bring to this chat yuri  
 _russianicetiger_ : fuck positivity.  
 _russianicetiger_ : now stop posting messages here so i can sleep.  
 _phichitchu_ : fine  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok  
 _leoofthechurch_ : Ok  
 _phichitchu_ : okay  
 _guanghongstar_ : ok  
 _phichitchu_ : ok

 _russianicetiger_ left the chat log _friendship training_.

 _phichitchu_ : ok  
 _phichitchu_ : whoops he left

\---

Just as Viktor advised Yuuri to take a lunch break, and he got himself settled on the sidelines, a thought occurred to him. He dug out his phone and sent a message directly to Phichit.

 _katsukiyuu_ : hey  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t mean to be a pain but  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’d just like to check with you again  
 _katsukiyuu_ : are you really okay?  
 _phichitchu_ : ok with what?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : with Leo and Guang Hong?  
 _phichitchu_ : oh yuuri youre so sweet to worry about me  
 _phichitchu_ : but i swear that im fine  
 _phichitchu_ : in fact i am better than fine  
 _phichitchu_ : they are super cute together (＾▽＾)/ <3  
 _phichitchu_ : even cuter than i thought theyd be together tbh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m relieved to hear that  
 _phichitchu_ : my only regret is that i cant be there with them!  
 _phichitchu_ : i want to congratulate them in person  
 _phichitchu_ : and catch some of those #leojimoments on camera (≧∇≦)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (-_-;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I don’t get why you get so much joy out of shipping your friends, but  
 _katsukiyuu_ : as long as it makes you happy…  
 _phichitchu_ : it makes me so happy yuuri  
 _phichitchu_ : guang hong is all mousy and adorable   
_phichitchu_ : and leo has that effortlessly cool air about him  
 _phichitchu_ : and they get along so well!  
 _phichitchu_ : <3 <3 <3 (●＾o＾●) <3 <3 <3  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri i feel like im in love~  
 _katsukiyuu_ : with… leoji? the ship?  
 _phichitchu_ : ヽ(´ー｀)┌  
 _phichitchu_ : lol yeah kind of i guess  
 _katsukiyuu_ : well again  
 _katsukiyuu_ : as long as you’re happy  
 _phichitchu_ : youre such a good friend yuuri <3  
 _phichitchu_ : thanks for checking up on me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : of course

Satisfied that Phichit was okay, even if Yuuri didn’t fully understand why, he put his phone away so he could turn all his attention to his lunch. It wasn’t particularly appetizing, just some vegetables and rice, but it was good for keeping up energy. As he ate, he watched Viktor skate under Yakov’s watchful eye and fiery commentary. 

It was difficult to juggle coaching with skating, which is why Yuuri and Viktor had settled into a nice routine. The morning was when Viktor coached Yuuri, watching from the sidelines and offering his insight. Viktor would then eat, and then as Yuuri got off the ice to eat his lunch, Viktor would join Georgi, Mila, and Yurio so he could be coached by Yakov. Once Yuuri was finished eating, he generally practiced alone, going over whatever Viktor felt he needed to work on most on that particular day.

Today, however, things went slightly off schedule. 

It all started when Lilia, who had been suspiciously absent for part of the day, whispered something to Yakov that made him stop practice early.

“Okay, everyone, that’s enough for today,” Yakov called out, “Go put your gear away and meet Lilia and I back here in twenty. We’re going to be having a group meeting to discuss an interesting opportunity that just popped up. Katsuki, you’re coming too.”

Yuuri sent a confused look to Viktor, who only shrugged back at him. Despite knowing Yakov longer, it seemed that even Viktor didn’t have a guess as to what was going on.

Once everyone met back up for the group meeting, they found Lilia had wheeled in an old TV—one they probably used to show informational videos to the kids who took classes on the weekends. Yuuri sat on the floor between Viktor’s legs, since there was only so much room on the bench. Mila and Yurio occupied the rest of the available bench space, with Georgi on the floor with Yuuri.

“Okay, what the hell is this about?” Yurio asked what everyone was thinking.

Lilia simply slid a bulky DVD into the player without any explanation. The screen flickered to life, and a vaguely familiar young woman appeared on it. She was speaking in Russian, so Yuuri only caught a few phrases here and there, but he gathered enough to figure out that it was a cereal commercial. The scenery kept flipping inexplicitly between a kitchen and a ballet studio. Though, it was relatively tame compared to some of the bizarre ads that premiered back in Japan, Yuuri thought.

When that commercial ended, another one began, with the same actress. Halfway through, however, Yakov paused it.

“That woman, as you’ve likely realized by now,” Lilia said, “was me. I starred in thirty-two commercials for this brand in my youth. It was a wonderful opportunity. I was paid very handsomely for my work. And now, they’re looking for a new athlete to promote their new cereal flavor. They have called and asked me to invite any young athletes I know to their charity event tonight. With any luck, one of you may become the new face of _Kelloji_.”

“The event starts at eight,” Yakov continued, “so I highly suggest that everyone makes sure that they are as presentable as possible before tonight. Lilia and I will pay for transportation, so that we can all arrive together. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior. A sponsorship like this could pay the bills for years.”

\---

“We definitely need to get that sponsorship,” Viktor said on their walk back home, looping his arm through Yuuri’s. “Imagine what we could do with that money! We could have the most luxurious honeymoon. And the most extravagant wedding!”

Yuuri hurriedly shushed Viktor, blushing under as a group of women glanced over at them. “Not so loud,” Yuuri whispered, “People are staring.”

“People are always staring at me,” Viktor put in shamelessly, “I can’t help my good looks or my fame. And now I have the most handsome fiancé at my side all the time. People are bound to be drawn to us!” Then, after a beat, he seemed to remember the earlier topic of conversation. “Oh, but about that charity event, Yuuri! If you want to be taken seriously, we’ll have to get you a new suit. Perhaps something tailored. Have you ever had one of your suits tailored before, Yuuri?”

“No.” Yuuri struggled to keep up with Viktor, who he sometimes suspected could hold an entire conversation with himself. “It’s too expensive, and besides, my weight fluctuates too much. It’d be completely pointless.”

Viktor just pulled Yuuri closer to his side, undeterred by his protests. “You can’t possibly lose or gain a significant amount of weight by tonight, can you?”

“No, but— wait, you want us to get me a custom-tailored suit _for tonight_? We can’t expect anyone to do that in just a few hours. We don’t have nearly enough time for that.” But it was clear that Viktor was off in his own head. Yuuri bit his lip, and combed his brain for the best way to get Viktor to listen to reason. Then, the perfect idea hit him. “Maybe I can get myself a tailored suit for our wedding instead,” Yuuri suggested coyly.

That definitely got Viktor’s attention. “Oh, Yuuri, you are going to look so handsome in your wedding tux,” he gushed, “We can get our measurements taken together! Oh, why wait? Let’s go see if we can get that taken care of now!”

Again, the Viktor hype express was chugging along too quickly, leaving Yuuri lagging behind. “Viktor,” Yuuri huffed, “That sounds nice, but… Don’t forget that we need to focus on the charity event tonight. Remember the sponsorship opportunity? The extravagant wedding? The luxurious honeymoon? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”

“Right, sorry.” Viktor nuzzled their cheeks together, which was somewhat awkward as they were still walking side by side, and Viktor needed to lean down a bit to reach. “I suppose I’ve been keeping all these wedding ideas in for so long. Once you brought it up last week, I’ve hardly been able to think of anything else!” He pulled Yuuri towards a menswear shop, still babbling all the while. “Now that we’ve started talking about it, I can’t seem to stop. It doesn’t help that I’ve asked Christophe to be my best man, and ever since he’s been spamming my phone with the most scandalous honeymoon night ideas!”

Yuuri paused as Viktor went to pull open the door for him. “Wait, why is Chris trying to plan our honeymoon?”

“Not the honeymoon, _pupsik_ ,” Viktor purred into Yuuri’s ear, “The honeymoon _night_. Our first night as a married couple. It’s a very important distinction.”

“Oh.” Yuuri didn’t understand the difference. At least, not at first. And then…

“Wait.” Yuuri felt his entire body heat up so quickly, he was certain that he was glowing neon red from his ears right down to his toes. He glanced around to make sure there was no one within earshot. “Are you saying… you discuss _that stuff_ with Chris? Our…” Go on Yuuri, he told himself, you can say it. “Our _sex_ life?”

Viktor hardly reacted to the question at all. “Don’t you discuss it with Phichit?”

“N-no! Never!” The very thought made Yuuri want to hide under some blankets like he used to all the time when he was a kid. 

“Oh.” Viktor placed the tip of his index finger to his bottom lip, taking an unnecessary amount of time to process that. “I’ve always talked about those kinds of things with Christophe. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I can stop.”

“I don’t suppose it would make any difference now,” Yuuri grumbled. He knew that either way, he wouldn’t be likely to look Chris in the eye ever again. And he thought it was bad when he learned Viktor and Chris used to be friends with benefits! “Let’s just find a suit quickly. I want to shower and relax, especially if that party is going to be crowded.”

“Hmm, okay.” By now, Viktor knew how quickly social interactions – especially ones with strangers – could drain poor, severely introverted Yuuri. Taking some time to relax before a big social event did wonders for Yuuri’s anxiety. “I’ll make us some tea,” Viktor offered.

Yuuri took Viktor’s hand and squeezed his fingers. Despite being airheaded and difficult, Viktor was always doing his best to support him.

\---

Despite renting a sizable van for the evening, the ride to the charity event was still rather crowded. Yuuri found himself squished between Viktor and Georgi, feeling a tad lightheaded from the sheer intensity of Georgi’s fragrant cologne. He felt a huge weight lifted from his chest the moment they arrived.

Though, Yakov didn’t let them out just yet. Turning around in the driver’s seat, he glowered at the five skaters until everyone – even Yurio – fell silent. 

“Alright, listen up.” Yakov spoke louder than necessary, his voice echoing around in the confined space. “I expect everyone to be on their best behavior tonight. We will not being repeating the 2015 banquet incident. Yuuri Katsuki, you stay away from the champagne. Mila and Yurochka, stay off your phones, or I will confiscate them. Georgi, don’t monopolize conversations; no one wants to hear about your new girlfriend. Vitya, keep yourself at arm’s length from Yuuri if you don’t think you can handle not flirting with him all night. I will not hesitate to send any of you home if you cause any sort of disruption. Am I making myself crystal clear?’

Everyone make sounds of agreement, even Yurio seemingly uninterested in arguing.

“Good,” Lilia said, “Now, everyone be mindful of your posture. Mrs. Petrov is looking for someone with charm, charisma, and of course, exceptional beauty. Prove that you can sell their product by selling yourselves as ideal candidates.” 

Feeling anxious again despite the tea they had earlier, Yuuri shuffled out of the van after Viktor. He silently reminded himself that this wasn’t that different from events he had attended in the past. After all, his bank account relied on sponsorships. But he had never done anything at this level, and he certainly had never been in a commercial before. (Viktor had, though, he knew. Yuuri used to watch them on youtube all the time.)

“Just take deep breaths,” Viktor advised him, seeming to sense his unease. He put his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder briefly, but pulled it back when Yakov snapped at him.

“Hands off your fiancé for just this one night, Viktor,” the coach hissed.

Viktor pouted back at him from over his shoulder. “We’re not even in the building yet,” he whined, but was smart enough not to talk loud enough for Yakov to hear him. “Let me know if anything gets too overwhelming,” he whispered to Yuuri, “I’ll find an excuse for us to duck away from the party for a minute or two.”

 _I don’t deserve him_ , Yuuri found himself thinking, but he clamped down on that negative opinion quickly. If Viktor didn’t think Yuuri was worthy of him, they wouldn’t be engaged, for goodness sake! “Thanks,” Yuuri murmured back.

The charity event was being held at a grand manor, and somehow, the inside was even grander than the outside would suggest. White marble floors, rows of columns, golden chandeliers, and ornate red rugs emphasized the wealth of the company that had been able to rent such a glamorous space. Long tables overflowing with platters of artistically arranged food had been set in spaced out rows. Groups of fancy-dressed people mingled between them. Despite the overwhelming size of the room, it was so packed that it seemed much smaller.

Yuuri reflexively fiddled with his tie as the group made their way down the spiral stairs to the party below. He wondered vaguely if this was how Cinderella felt, attending the prince’s ball for the first time. (Phichit had gone through a Disney phase while in Detroit, and had forced Yuuri to marathon all the old classics with him. Yuuri still found himself getting songs such as _Be Our Guest_ stuck in his head from time to time, despite not having seen any of those films in a couple of years.)

“That’s Mrs. Petrov over there in the violet dress,” Lilia pointed the woman out of the crowd, “I want all of you to talk with her at some point tonight, but not all at once. Do not overwhelm her. You can decide amongst yourselves who should go meet with her first.”

“Now fan out and mingle,” Yakov said, “Good luck to all of you.”

For a second, Yuuri almost followed after Viktor, but then he stopped himself. _Fan out_ , they were told. Yuuri let out a long breath to calm his nerves, and began to roam in the opposite direction.

The first ten minutes of the event ticked by frustratingly slow. Yuuri couldn’t gather enough courage to join anyone’s conversation, afraid that he’d just end up awkwardly lurking in the background. Instead, he weaved through the crowds, acting as if he was looking for a certain someone. He began to notice that there were beautiful stone statues lined up along the back wall, with prices listed on plaques at their feet. A man who was standing by them explained, “All proceeds go to the Encouragement of the Arts Foundation.”

Yuuri smiled politely back at the man, not wanting to admit that the statues were way out of his price range. “That’s nice,” he replied automatically, unsure of what else to say. He wondered if Viktor went to these kinds of events often, as he pretended to be interested in a statue of a howling wolf. 

“Hey, _buta_.”

Yuuri startled, somehow not having noticed Yurio had snuck up behind him.

“You’re supposed to be talking to people,” Yurio told him, arms crossed, but… there was something strange about Yurio’s face. After a second, Yuuri figured it out: the teenager wasn’t scowling. “You can’t just hide back here all night,” Yurio added, “Come on. You can stay with me for a while, if you want.”

“Uhh,” Yuuri managed.

“Let’s put all that ‘friendship training’ to good use, okay?” Yurio began to walk away, motioning for Yuuri to follow him.

That’s when the evening went from awkward to just plain weird.

\---

“—and so I haven’t played the flute in weeks,” Yurio was saying to a group of elderly women, “It’s a shame, but between skating and ballet, I don’t have the time to take lessons from a tutor. I’m hoping we can convince the principal to bring back that class in the future. Even if it only happens after I graduate, it’ll be a nice accomplishment.”

The women fell to pieces over Yurio’s story, congratulating him on his valiant efforts. “I wish my grandson was as invested in his education as you are,” one of them lamented.

Yuuri, who knew for a fact that Yurio had dropped out of school to dedicate his life to skating-full time, stayed silent. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Yurio kept _smiling_ and _laughing_ , without it being sarcastic.

The woman from before began to complain about her grandson’s laziness. Yurio listened to her, occasionally nodding to encourage her to continue.

When the subject of the boy’s abysmal grades came up, Yurio offered some advice. “Perhaps you should suggest he take up an instrument,” he said, “Did you know that learning how to read sheet music has been shown to improve math comprehension? Plus, it may help him build confidence in himself.”

 _You must be in the twilight zone_ , Yuuri’s mind suggested. Or perhaps he had just fallen asleep after drinking tea with Viktor, and they weren’t even at the party yet. It seemed a likely possibility. Tea could sometimes give him strangely vivid dreams.

Yuuri reached behind his back to pinch his wrist. Nope, he wasn’t asleep. Weird.

Suddenly, Yuuri found that he had become the subject of conversation. All the women were looking at him expectantly. He faintly remembered that one of them had asked him about him being a skater, too.

“Yes, that’s right,” Yuuri blurted, embarrassed that it took him so long to answer, “Yurio and I train at the same rink.”

“Yurio?” One woman asked.

Oh, damn it. Thankfully, Yurio didn’t seem pissed at all. “That’s his nickname for me,” he explained, “Since we share the same first name. Yuuri just moved to Russia a month ago, but we’ve trained together in Japan, too. He’s become like an older brother to me.”

 _Since when?_ Yuuri wanted to ask. 

“Oh, how sweet!” Of course, their audience was eating Yurio’s story right up. “Are you looking forward to competing against him someday?”

“We already compete against each other,” Yurio said, no trace of anger in his voice. It was like he was a completely different person. “I am competing at the senior level. Yuuri and I kind of have a friendly rivalry going on between us. Yuuri versus Yuri. It makes competitions even more interesting.”

Luckily, at that moment Mila swooped in to save Yuuri. “Hey,” she said as she pulled him away from that strange conversation, “It’s your turn to chat Mrs. Petrov up.”

As they made their way across the large room, Yuuri leaned close so he could whisper to Mila. “Uhh, Yurio is acting kind of odd tonight,” he told her, “Like… I don’t know. I know Yakov told us to be on our best behavior, but I didn’t expect Yurio to take that so seriously. He just called me an older brother figure.”

Mila laughed, but didn’t seem surprised. “Oh yeah, Yura gets like that sometimes,” she said, “None of us really know why. It’s creepy, isn’t it? To see him so friendly?”

“It’s very eerie,” Yuuri agreed.

“Okay, so Mrs. Petrov,” Mila changed the subject as they got closer to said woman, “She’s a lot like Lilia, but somehow even scarier. Just a head’s up: she asks _very_ intrusive questions. But don’t speak for too long, or she’ll get bored. Yakov said to give quick, honest answers, and try not to look put off by her forwardness.”

Oh, great. Yuuri already hated the sound of this. Before he could reply, though, Mila shoved him towards Mrs. Petrov.

“H-hello,” Yuuri said automatically when she turned to look at him. One word in, and he was already stuttering. Not off to a great start, he reprimanded himself. “My name is Katsuki Yuuri,” he introduced himself swiftly, “Or Yuuri Katsuki, I guess. Yuuri is my first name. We say the last name first in Japan.” Fuck, fuck, fuck! Now he was rambling.

“Mr. Katsuki,” Mrs. Petrov hummed, observing him as he had been looking at the statues earlier. She was appraising him, trying to determine his worth. “Out of all the skaters, I’ve heard the least about you. Mrs. Baranovskaya tells me that you’re new.”

“I’ve been training in Russia for about a month, now,” Yuuri agreed, “Though I’ve been training with Viktor longer than that.”

Mrs. Petrov rested her chin in her palm, slowly digesting that information. Mila had been right; this woman was _very_ intimidating. “Viktor, yes, the five time gold medalist who took a season off to coach you,” she said, “I’ve heard a lot about him. Though, Mrs. Baranovskaya failed to mention _why_ he made that risky decision. Your thoughts?”

That wasn’t too invasive, Yuuri decided. He felt comfortable enough answering that.

“From what Viktor has told me, he had run out of inspiration and needed a muse, so to speak.” Yuuri tried not to blush at calling himself Viktor’s muse, even if it was true. “I skated one of his routines, he saw it, and was impressed enough to come find me.” He left out the part where it had been uploaded without his consent by three meddling kids.

“But you’re more than just a muse, aren’t you?” Mrs. Petrov was quick to make things even more personal. “I’ve read news about the engagement. Did he take a season off so he could coach you, or so he could _court_ you?”

 _A bit of both_ , Yuuri’s brain offered the honest answer smugly. But he couldn’t say that without making Viktor’s decision seem cheap. “To coach me,” Yuuri said instead, “The courting part just sort of happened later.” Damn it, he was lying like Yurio, now! Mila told him to be honest. “I mean… it was mostly about the coaching. But Viktor and I knew each other beforehand, and I think maybe… he was hoping for both.”

Well, there went his chance to get the sponsorship. He just hoped he hadn’t ruined Viktor’s chances, as well. 

“And now he’s coaching and skating at the same time,” Mrs. Petrov stated, in a clearly judging tone. She tapped at her cheek with her finger, making Yuuri’s stomach lurch from the nerves. Was she bored now, too? “Doesn’t that make things needlessly complicated?”

Yuuri didn’t like the way she was being so dismissive of Viktor. He balled his fists up against his sides, remembering to keep his posture straight. “It makes things harder than they could be,” he answered honestly, “but it was Viktor’s decision, and I’ve chosen to support him. Besides, if we liked doing things the easy way, neither of us would have become competitive skaters.”

At that, Mrs. Petrov _laughed_. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t have. Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Katsuki. I think I have a good idea of what kind of person you are now. Could you find your fiancé for me? I’d like to speak with him next.”

Dazed from that exhausting interrogation, Yuuri merely nodded mutely and went off in search of Viktor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who will win the sponsorship? Vote now in the comments! (Though I've already chosen who will get it, I just want to know what you guys think will happen.)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, this chapter started getting waaaaaay longer than intended. There's no chat logs in this one, because I've decided to split this section of the story into two chapters. This one sets up the conflict, and the next chapter deals with that conflict. Again, the last two chapters will be a sort of epilogue, with some drama but mostly just fluff.

It was difficult to find Viktor, and Yuuri was starting to feel dizzy from the sheer amount of chattering people packed into the hall. He weaved around the groups of men and women conversing, each of them seeming perfectly at ease in the overwhelming luxurious environment. It didn’t surprise Yuuri when, upon finally catching sight of Viktor, his fiancé looked just as comfortable. 

Standing near Viktor were two women, pressed tight together, and taking turns telling a story in Russian. Yuuri hovered a few feet away, content to just watch Viktor for the moment. He was reminded of just how different they were. 

Nostalgia swept over Yuuri as he thought back to his teenaged years. Back then, he always felt like a third wheel to Yuuko and Takashi, even before the two started dating. It seemed inevitable that they’d wind up together, no matter how hard Yuuri tried to ignore it. Yuu-chan had been his first crush, after all, but Yuuri wasn’t naïve enough to think that his feelings would ever be requited. He knew how Yuuko felt about him. Yuuri would never forgotten that time Yuu-chan complained to Mari that her own younger brother wasn’t nearly as cute as Yuuri, and how she envied her. 

Ballet and ice skating were the only things he ever cared about outside of school. Even when helping his parents run the _onsen_ , it wasn’t uncommon for someone to catch him practicing his step sequences while, say, chopping vegetables. In his room, after completing his homework, Yuuri would dance until his legs threatened to collapse. 

All the while, Yuuri kept himself updated on everything Viktor was doing. Any time any magazine touched on anything Viktor related, Yuuko would be sure to find it, and let Yuuri borrow it.

Yuuri felt himself smile at the memory. Oh, how the two of them drove Takashi crazy, always talking about _Viktor this, Viktor that_. It was embarrassing, but back then Yuuri could hardly control himself whenever his Russian idol was brought up. And it didn’t help that Yuuko was always enabling him, encouraging him to gush to his heart’s content.

If Viktor hadn’t spent all that time in Hatsetsu with him, pushing Yuuri to tell him everything about his family, friends, and childhood, their relationship would probably feel a lot more uneven. To Yuuri, it felt as though he had grown up alongside Viktor.

When Viktor was 16 and first came out as gay on TV, Yuuri was watching it live (despite it being way past his bedtime). When Viktor talked about his life outside of skating in interviews, Yuuri read and reread every word. When Viktor was 18 and his mother passed, leaving him alone in the world, Yuuri mourned with him. When Viktor joined Instagram and Twitter, Yuuri followed him, and made sure to read everything he posted. 

Viktor’s mother had been an ice skater, too, once of the best in her time. Viktor had grown up rich, used to attending extravagant events and mingling with celebrities. All these things were so drastically different from Yuuri’s childhood. 

Watching Viktor now, Yuuri was practically being slapped in the face with those differences. It made Yuuri lightheaded, so he fiddled with his engagement ring to ground himself. After all, the whole situation was bizarre, and teenaged Yuuri would break down in tears of joy and disbelief to know he’d one day wind up at a party like this, with Viktor as his fiancé, but somehow that was normal compared to everything else that had happened tonight.

Which reminded Yuuri _why_ he was seeking Viktor out in the first place. He walked up to Viktor’s side casually. Perhaps if he pretended like he belonged at this party, he would start believing it. “Hey,” he said, and was pleased when he captured Viktor’s attention immediately, his previous conversation all but forgotten.

“ _Zolotse moye_!” Viktor exclaimed, his dignified façade shattering, much to the surprise of the couple he had been talking to. “I was just thinking about you,” he slipped back into English for Yuuri’s sake, “How are you enjoying the party?”

Though the question seemed casual, Yuuri could tell that Viktor was asking out of concern. Yuuri felt emotional for a moment. What had he done to deserve this man? “I’m having fun,” he replied, and then tilted his head towards the women. It seemed rude not to introduce himself to them as soon as possible. “Hello, my name is Katsuki Yuuri. Sorry, my Russian isn’t that great. Is English okay?”

One of them seemed put off by the question, but the other one nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, hello! I’m Anna Mikhailov, and this is my wife, Katya.”

Katya continued to look irritated, and Yuuri tried to understand why that name sounded familiar. But then, he recognized her face. “Oh!” Yuuri blushed. “Katya Mikhailov, the skater. We met at the Cup of China last year.” _And Viktor was going to invite you to the wedding_ , Yuuri remembered. He hadn’t put one and one together until now. The skater who said those awful things at the Cup of China… was Katya Mikhailov, one of Viktor’s skating friends?

 _“Viktor, just split up with him already,”_ she had said, _“You know it won’t last. Don’t you feel sorry for him?”_

“Katya and I trained under the same coach for a few years,” Viktor explained, seemingly oblivious to the icy tension bleeding between Katya and Yuuri. “I couldn’t stand that coach, though. She was always trying to get me to change my choreography to fit _her_ interpretation of the song. It was infuriating. But Katya and I stayed in touch. I went to her wedding last summer. I think I mentioned that before.”

“You did,” Yuuri said, trying to say it as nicely as possible.

Anna, seemingly the polar opposite of her wife, began to bounce on her heels with electric glee. “And now I hear the two of you are engaged,” she gushed, “Congrats!”

Yuuri lifted his hand so Katya could see the golden ring adorning his finger. “We are,” he found himself saying at the same time as Viktor. As Viktor glanced at Yuuri in amazement at their synchronicity, Yuuri merely returned his smile and turned his attention back to the couple. “We’re thinking of a beach wedding in Hatsetsu, my home town,” Yuuri added, as if to say _Yes, it’s actually happening, we are getting married_ to Katya’s disbelieving face.

“How romantic,” Anna said, tugging at Katya’s arm, “Don’t you think?”

Katya didn’t look away from Yuuri for a second. “It’s very romantic,” she agreed, though Yuuri had a suspicion she didn’t mean it. Then Katya turned to Viktor. “I’m surprised you’re finally settling down, though,” she teased him, “I was starting to think that you were allergic to commitment.”

Unoffended, Viktor just laughed. “I’m not a teenager anymore, Katya,” he teased her back, “And besides, I may have broken some hearts, but I got my heart broken just as often. I’m not really the playboy everyone seems to think I am.”

Katya smiled at that, but it was clearly strained. Yuuri tried not to look too smug.

“Oh,” Yuuri said, once the lull in conversation reminded him of the fact that he was supposed to be playing messenger for Mrs. Petrov. He pulled Viktor close to whisper in his ear. “I forgot but, Mrs. Petrov wanted me to send you her way. She’d like to talk to you next.”

Viktor blinked and then nodded. “Excuse me, ladies,” he spoke to Katya and Anna in a suave voice that made Yuuri inwardly swoon, “It looks like I’m needed elsewhere. Hopefully we’ll bump into each other again tonight, but I’ll say goodbye now in case we don’t. Goodnight, and enjoy the party.” He then _honest to god_ bowed, and Yuuri momentarily forgot to breathe.

Then Viktor disappeared into the crowd again. Yuuri found himself already missing him.

Katya and Anna had turned towards one another, so Yuuri assumed he was no longer part of their conversation either. Not that Yuuri wanted to continue talking to Katya, anyway, so it all worked out. _Maybe I should find Yurio_ , Yuuri thought.

He began to wander again, unable to keep himself from grinning. Katya had looked so angry at the mention of their engagement. Yuuri would suspect she was Viktor’s ex, if his fiancé had any inclination towards women. Maybe she had crushed on Viktor back when they were training under the same coach. Either way, he was keen on not allowing her into the wedding. 

Before Yuuri could locate Yurio, he bumped into Mila again. She was chatting with Georgi, but pounced on Yuuri the second she saw him. 

“Hey, you survived talking to Mrs. Petrov,” Mila said, ruffling Yuuri’s hair despite the fact that he was half a decade older than her. She yanked him close to Georgi and continued to hang on to his arm. “That must mean Viktor’s talking to her now, right?”

Yuuri nodded, surprised but not displeased with Mila’s unexpected affection. 

“I barely survived her interrogation,” Georgi put in with a dramatic sigh, fist clutching the fabric over his heart. “Apparently she had seen my Carabosse program, and had me indulge all the intimate details of my breakup with Anya. She asked me Anya’s reasons for the breakup, and how my thoughts on her choice to leave me have evolved.”

Unable to help it, Yuuri winced. That sounded brutal. 

“And then, as if that wasn’t painful enough, she asked me about how I felt being overshadowed by Viktor and Yuri,” Georgi added with a whine, “And after bearing my soul to her, do you know what she said? She said that she wasn’t considering an ‘underdog angle’ for her commercials, but that she’d call me if a role like that ever opened up.”

“Ouch,” Mila said, although Yuuri was certain she had heard the story from Georgi before. The man loved repeating himself. “She asked me about my reputation for being a playgirl,” Mila added, the hurt evident in her pout, “Apparently my ex has been spreading some nasty rumors about me, which of course I had to found out from Mrs. Petrov, of all people. And then once I was done learning about all the men and women I had supposedly seduced, Mrs. Petrov grilled me about every single beef I’ve ever had with someone. Apparently she wasn’t amused that I was adhering to the stereotype of the ‘fiery redheaded woman’. Those were her exact words.”

Yuuri was suddenly very thankful that Mrs. Petrov hadn’t been nearly as cruel to him. He wondered how Viktor was doing. Thankfully, Viktor was more thick-skinned.

“It’s unfair,” Mila complained, “It’s not even like I get in fights that often. It’s mostly just friendly horsing around. Of course, the people who record and post them online don’t always see it that way.”

“And there was that time you tossed that one guy through a window,” Georgi put in.

“What?” Yuuri looked at Mila, trying to envision her throwing a guy through a pane of glass. He knew she was strong, but wow. “Did you really do that?”

Mila flexed her arm and kissed the bicep. “Yup,” she chirped at him proudly, “He was one of my ex’s friends, another hockey player like her. I beat him at an arm wrestling contest, but he was a sore loser and refused to admit I won fair and square. As if it’s even possible to cheat in an arm wrestling contest. When he wouldn’t concede, I proved my strength by tossing him around like a hot potato. I didn’t mean to break the window, though. I just have superbly bad aim.”

“Yakov was so mad,” Georgi sputtered through laughter, “I was afraid he’d have a stroke.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mila agreed, “Even Yura was afraid of Yakov that day. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why he still puts up with all of us. I think you’re the first normal student he’s had in years, Yuuri, and you’re not even his actual student.”

As the conversation continued, Yuuri couldn’t help but smile. They were treating him like he was a part of the family. It was the most comfortable he had felt all night.

Mila shared some more stories about her previous ‘beefs’ with other athletes, while Georgi and Yuuri listened and occasionally commented on her wild tales. All of them sounded too absurd to be true, but Georgi vouched for every one of them. However, in the middle of recanting a story about an elaborate back-and-forth prank war between herself and an ice skater from China, Mila suddenly paused mid-sentence.

“Hey,” she said, “Viktor’s still talking to Mrs. Petrov.”

Yuuri followed her line of sight, and discovered she was right. Viktor was laughing, and Mrs. Petrov seemed to be enjoying herself as well. Well, if anyone could charm that woman, it would be Viktor, so Yuuri wasn’t all that surprised.

“Still?” Georgi looked at his watch and frowned. “She didn’t talk to me for that long. I suppose she’s found the person she wants to put in her commercials.”

“But she hasn’t even talked to the other Yuri, yet,” Mila argued. She turned to Yuuri and whispered as though it were a secret, “Yuri always wants to talk to the sponsors last, so that their conversation is the most fresh in their mind.”

 _That’s smart_ , Yuuri thought.

“I should text Yuri,” Mila spoke her own thoughts out loud, sneaking her cell out of her purse. “It’s getting late, and the sooner Yuri finishes talking to Mrs. Petrov, the sooner we can leave and get home to our nice, comfy beds.”

At hearing that, thinking of Viktor’s soft mattress and warm comforter, Yuuri found himself yawning.

Mila and Georgi immediately yawned, too. 

“Damn it, Yuuri,” Georgi hissed behind the hand he lifted to cover his mouth, “Now I’m tired, too. Oh, Mila. Don’t bother texting the little Yuri. I see him over there.” He nudged his chin in Yurio’s direction. “Big Yuuri, see if you can’t drag Viktor away somehow.”

Unsure how to feel about being called ‘Big Yuuri’, Yuuri simply frowned thoughtfully and glanced over at his fiancé again. Yuuri wanted to head home, too, but how could he possibly pull Viktor away without seeming rude? But… he was enjoying the newfound comradery Georgi and Mila were sharing with him, and he didn’t want to disappoint them. “I’ll figure out something,” he decided out loud, giving a firm nod.

“It shouldn’t be hard,” Georgi said, “He’d jump off a bridge for you.”

Blushing, but not wanting to deny it (because he had a sneaking suspicion that it was true), Yuuri merely gave another nod to Georgi.

Then Mila took off towards Yurio, and Yuuri towards Viktor.

Before Yuuri could even begin pondering over how to cut into the conversation, Viktor spotted him out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, Viktor lit up and waved him over. “Your ears must have been ringing,” he purred as he pulled Yuuri under his arm, uncaring that Mrs. Petrov was analyzing their every movement.

“Oh, you were talking about me?” Yuuri teased Viktor, trying not to sound like he was dying of curiosity. What had Mrs. Petrov said about him? Was any of it good?

“We were discussing your free program, actually,” Mrs. Petrov answered before Viktor could, “The one about your skating career. Viktor said that the theme was ‘on your love’, but I was pointing out how it could also be interpreted as ‘on your courage’.” 

That was… wait, what? Yuuri blinked a couple of times.

“It’s one and the same, really,” Viktor put in, swishing the champagne in his hand thoughtfully. It made him look dignified, though Yuuri couldn’t help but want to smirk at his fiancé. He knew Viktor was _trying_ to look dignified on purpose, which kind of took away from the appeal. “By learning to appreciate the love and support he already had, Yuuri also began to recognize his innate courage,” Viktor continued, “It takes a lot of courage to allow yourself to love and be loved. Don’t you agree, _porosya moya_?”

Disoriented as he was, it took Yuuri a second to realize Viktor had directed that question at him. (Of course he did, his brain mocked him, who else would he be referring to?) 

“I suppose,” Yuuri replied half-heartedly, more focused on deciphering Mrs. Petrov’s peculiar expression. He couldn’t tell if she was sincerely happy or if her grin was sarcastic. Before, he was so sure she didn’t like either of them, critiquing Viktor’s decisions as she had. But now, Yuuri found that she seemed quite fond of them. What had Viktor said to her?

“You’re an odd one, Katsuki Yuuri,” Mrs. Petrov commented, eyes flickering between him and Viktor, “Despite your age, you’re refreshingly naïve. You both are, really: blending your professional and romantic relationships together like you do.” 

“It works for us,” Viktor piped in, a touch defensively. Yuuri bit back a smile at that.

Mrs. Petrov’s own grin never faltered. “Even so,” she said, “the response to your relationship has been controversial at best. I assume a lot of it comes from fans who are disappointed at the official end of Viktor’s bachelorhood, but some of the complaints are valid. Anyone who agrees to sponsor either one of you is going to become involved with that controversy.”

Oh. Yuuri certainly hadn’t considered that, and could tell from Viktor’s stunned look that he hadn’t either. (Of course, Viktor rarely thought about the consequences of his actions, so that didn’t come as a surprise.)

“What’s done is done,” Mrs. Petrov continued, “What matters now is how you deal with the controversy. How you—”

Whatever she had been about to say got caught off as Yurio stumbled into the conversation (quite literally, as Mila had just shoved him). Despite the unflattering entrance, Yurio was quick to recover with a wide smile and an uncharacteristically cheery, “Hello! My name is Yuri Plisetski. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Ah, Mrs. Baranovskaya’s prima ballerina.” Mrs. Petrov looked him up and down, her previous warm demeanor gone. “She was quick to sing your praises, which I’m sure you’re well aware is the highest of compliments coming from her. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

They shared a firm handshake, Yurio meeting Mrs. Petrov gaze without flinching at all.

“Sorry for interrupting, by the way,” Yurio added, sounding just as eerily charismatic as Yuuri remembered, “I just wanted the chance to talk to you before the night was over, and I got a tad impatient.”

Mrs. Petrov hummed. “You should be apologizing to Viktor and Yuuri here,” she replied smoothly, “They hadn’t finished convincing me to sponsor them yet.”

Was that still an option? Hadn’t Mrs. Petrov pointed out how risky it would be for any company to sponsor either one of them? Yuuri’s head spun. He felt like everyone was playing an elaborate game, and he was the only one who didn’t know the rules.

Yurio didn’t waste time before bowing towards Viktor and Yuuri. “Sorry, Viktor, Yuuri. I hope you’ll still let me be the ring bearer at your wedding.”

Yuuri felt his face heat up, although he wasn’t sure if he was more flustered or irritated. He realized instantly that Yurio had brought up the wedding to score points with Mrs. Petrov, the same way he gushed about Yuuri being an older brother figure to him. It was clear that Yurio knew exactly how to utilize his kittenish social image to his advantage. 

“Of course,” Viktor purred, clinging to Yuuri harder. (Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder when the mere mention of their wedding would stop turning Viktor into a blushing, babbling mess. Some selfish part of him hoped that it would always affect Viktor this way.)

Whether or not Mrs. Petrov was aware of Yurio’s angle, she took the bait. “The three of you are quite close, then?”

“Very close,” Yurio said, “I’ve always been a fan of Viktor Nikiforov. I was honored when he offered to choreograph a program for me. Of course, he also choreographed a program for Yuuri, which made us rivals of a sort. But it’s good to have someone to compete against, in a friendly way. It helps motivate both of us to perform at the best of our ability. Now that we train at the same rink, we’ve all developed a brotherly bond.”

Viktor kept snorting in amusement, so Yuuri elbowed him before he could contradict anything Yurio had said. It was likely that Yurio would never forgive them if they embarrassed him in front of Mrs. Petrov.

“You put on quite the act during competitions,” Mrs. Petrov replied, tilting her head to the side, feigning ignorance, “I’ve watched your interviews this season, Mr. Plisetski.”

“Uh.” Yurio froze, but thankfully he recovered quickly. “Yeah, the fans love that sort of thing.”

Yuuri suppressed the urge to put a comforting hand on Yurio’s back. He didn’t like the way Mrs. Petrov was grinning at him. She wasn’t even saying anything, just staring him down with utmost amusement gleaming in her eyes. After a moment, though, Yuuri realized that it’d help Yurio’s narrative to comfort him. Nor would it be entirely dishonest; Yuuri _did_ feel oddly protective of the Russian Yuri. So, after deliberating the pros and cons, Yuuri wound his arm around Yurio’s shoulders.

“And what about you, Katsuki Yuuri?” Mrs. Petrov focused her attention on him now. “I don’t recall you putting on an act during interviews.”

It was clearer than ever that Mrs. Petrov was playing with them, the way a cat would tease a mouse. Yuuri regretted that she was getting such a rotten first impression of Yurio. Not that his own hadn’t been worse, but still. It was unlikely that Mrs. Petrov would get to see the softer side to the self-proclaimed ‘Ice Tiger of Russia’.

“Playing the role of a resentful teenager didn’t seem to fit me,” Yuuri replied.

“You get rather defensive over your teammates, don’t you, Katsuki?”

“What is going on over here?” Yakov stormed over to the group, saving Yuuri from having to answer that question. “Are you numbskulls trying to overwhelm her or something? I specifically told you guys to talk to her one at a time!”

He bulldozed right in between Yuuri and Yurio, causing them to pull apart from their slightly awkward embrace.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Petrov,” Yakov continued, “I told them to respect your preferred method of meeting with them one to one. My skaters are usually better listeners than this.” Like Yurio, it seemed that lying through his teeth came easily to Yakov. “Alright, two of you find some other people to mingle with. You’re supposed to be branching out of your usual social circles, yeah?”

He probably would have kept talking, if Mrs. Petrov didn’t stop him with a wave of her index finger.

“Oh, don’t bother, Mr. Feltsman,” she said, her words sticky like honey, “I’ve already made my decision, actually. In fact, I’ve been inspired to create an entirely new tagline! Invite Mrs. Baranovskaya over. I’m sure she’ll want to hear firsthand which of her students will be taking over her old role.”

Yakov blinked once, and then again. He opened his mouth as if to reply, and then scurried off to find Lilia without another word.

The atmosphere was suddenly uncomfortably thick. Yuuri dared not look at Yurio; he felt a pang of guilt knowing Yurio likely wasn’t going to be picked. Nor did Yuuri glance at Viktor, though he did reach for his hand. Their fingers slid together with the ease of having held hands so many times before. It would have made Yuuri smile, if he wasn’t acutely aware of the fact that Mrs. Petrov was analyzing every move they made. He felt the heat of her stare prickle across his skin.

Lilia appeared then, Yakov in tow. Neither of them said anything.

“Mrs. Baranovskaya, hello again,” Mrs. Petrov purred, taking her hands and squeezing them. It was surreal to see someone treat Lilia as though she were a child. It was doubly so, since they didn’t seem as though they were that far apart in age. Or perhaps Mrs. Petrov was a lot older than she appeared. “I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to catch up tonight, but there will be plenty of time for that later, when we’re celebrating.”

Lilia nodded, her shoulders unusually tense. “You said you’ve decided to sponsor one of my students,” she prompted.

“Well, yes and no,” Mrs. Petrov said. She put her hand to her chest, and took in a long breath. Then she turned to Yuuri, eyes sparkling. “Mr. Katsuki, would you like to star in some _Kelloji_ commercials?”

“Huh?!” Yurio spat.

Incidentally, that was just how Yuuri felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, Mrs. Petrov picked Yuuri! It really wasn't all that surprisingly, really. This is his story, after all. The sponsorship itself isn't super important to the plot, it's just more of an excuse to stir up drama. The next chapter will likely be the most drama-heavy one, although even then it'll likely be very light. What can I say? I'm not good at writing believable drama. The most important thing to me as a writer is to make any and all drama appear like it develops in a realistic manner. Hopefully I manage to do that!
> 
> Also, those things Katya said were real lines in episode 6, which I remember because I rewatched that episode like 1,000 times. That episode, plus episodes 7 and 10 are my favorites. I just love all the boys from the Cup of China!
> 
> And lastly, wooo! I finally passed the 30k mark for words. I'm very proud of myself.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the looooooooooong ass wait, guys! Since I posted the previous chapter, I got sick, did some babysitting jobs in between my other job, got sick _again_ , and finally felt well enough to start on this chapter. This chapter is the final chapter for the fic, not including the two epilogue-y chapters that I've yet to write.
> 
> I use the word _deda_ in this chapter, which is an affectionate Russian word for grandpa.
> 
> Toot toot! All aboard the feels train.

_“Mr. Katsuki, would you like to star in some Kelloji commercials?”_

It was three in the morning, and Mrs. Petrov’s words just continued to loop on and on in Yuuri’s head. All night, Yuuri had been in a battle with himself, drifting in and out of anxiety-ridden dreams and tossing in the sheets. It had been so bad that Viktor eventually gave up on sleep-smothering him, and was now settled on the edge of the bed.

Fed up, Yuuri resigned himself to lying on his side, staring at the face of their side-table clock. Although it was out of focus, Yuuri could still read the neon numbers on its face when he squinted. The electronic _tick_ , _tick_ gave Yuuri something to focus on. After that last nightmare, he refused to be pulled back into sleep, at least for the moment. He considered waking Viktor up for reassurance cuddles a few times, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. Logically, Yuuri knew Viktor wouldn’t mind if he did, but it was difficult to ignore the doubt clouding his heart, when the room was so dark and quiet.

Looking at the time on the clock again, Yuuri debated plan B. It was 3:04 there in St Petersburg. Yuuri’s sleep-deprived brain sluggishly recalled the exact time difference, and he did the simple addition in his head. It would be 7:04 in Bangkok. Phichit would certainly be awake. Yuuri could just hope that Phichit wasn’t busy training already.

Yuuri grasped for his phone, and began typing up a private message for Phichit.

 _katsukiyuu_ : hey Phichit  
 _katsukiyuu_ : are you available to talk?

Yuuri held his breath and waited. A few minutes ticked by, and Yuuri was about to surrender to the inevitable nightmares, when his phone vibrated and woke him back up.

 _phichitchu_ : yuuri hi!  
 _phichitchu_ : youre up really late again  
 _phichitchu_ : this is giving me deja vu lol  
 _phichitchu_ : im in the locker room and ciao ciao is going to bug me if i linger here for too long but i can chat for a few minutes  
 _phichitchu_ : whats up?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I can’t sleep  
 _phichitchu_ : still? maybe you should see someone about that  
 _katsukiyuu_ : well, it did get better for a few nights  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but tonight it’s not so much that I can’t sleep  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s that I don’t want to sleep  
 _phichitchu_ : oh no (;O;)  
 _phichitchu_ : anxiety attack?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah  
 _phichitchu_ : im sorry yuuri  
 _phichitchu_ : have you been counting your breaths?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah, but it hasn’t really helped  
 _katsukiyuu_ : whenever I calm down I start to fall asleep again  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and then I have nightmares and wake back up  
 _katsukiyuu_ : so on and so on  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (,=_=,)  
 _phichitchu_ : oh damn thats no good at all  
 _phichitchu_ : are you anxious about anything in particular?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : yeah  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m, uh  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m going to be on TV (~_~;)  
 _phichitchu_ : (°_°)  
 _phichitchu_ : im confused  
 _phichitchu_ : its been a long time since youve gotten stage fright  
 _phichitchu_ : or camera fright i guess  
 _katsukiyuu_ : this isn’t just another interview or people recording my programs  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I’m going to have to act  
 _phichitchu_ : (O_O)  
 _phichitchu_ : what!!!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : okay, you can’t tell anyone this  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but I just signed onto a sponsorship deal with the company Kelloji  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and they want me to act in commercials for them  
 _katsukiyuu_ : multiple commercials  
 _katsukiyuu_ : to promote their new cereal flavor  
 _phichitchu_ : yooooooooooooooooo  
 _phichitchu_ : yuuri thats huge!!  
 _phichitchu_ : im so proud of you  
 _phichitchu_ : even if it seems overwhelming af right now  
 _phichitchu_ : im positive youll do an amazing job and i am so happy for you  
 _katsukiyuu_ : thanks;;;  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s so cliche, but  
 _katsukiyuu_ : I keep having dreams about arriving on the set in my underwear  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (T_T)  
 _phichitchu_ : oh yuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : or I would keep forgetting my lines and saying inappropriate things on accident  
 _katsukiyuu_ : and in one of them Yurio was there and he just kept complimenting everything I did with a really creepy voice and smile and refused to give me constructive feedback no matter how much I asked for it  
 _phichitchu_ : whoa  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it’s even more intimidating because Kelloji is putting their reputation on the line by signing a contract with me  
 _katsukiyuu_ : since apparently my engagement to Viktor is a big controversial issue  
 _katsukiyuu_ : him being my coach and all  
 _katsukiyuu_ : which is what they want to corporate into the commercials  
 _katsukiyuu_ : with my tagline being “there’s no fun in doing things the easy way”  
 _katsukiyuu_ : which is close to something I said in the interview, in relation to my engagement to Viktor  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but in the commercial they want me to use that line to inspire people to eat healthier in the morning or something, without directly saying it, I guess  
 _katsukiyuu_ : it made sense when the woman explained it, but  
 _katsukiyuu_ : now my head is swimming  
 _katsukiyuu_ : (Q_Q)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : help me, Phichit!  
 _phichitchu_ : sorry ciao ciao was bugging me but im not going anywhere until you feel better ok?  
 _phichitchu_ : ok so first of all youre thinking too hard about this  
 _phichitchu_ : if you just recently signed the contract you still have a while before filming begins  
 _phichitchu_ : you will have plenty of time to figure out what the company wants from you and to memorize your lines  
 _phichitchu_ : secondly you perform all the time when you skate so youre already familiar with acting so you dont even have to fret about that aspect  
 _phichitchu_ : just pretend youre performing eros  
 _phichitchu_ : push your hair back if you need to  
 _phichitchu_ : in summary it wont be as bad as you think and you have a long time to prepare for it  
 _phichitchu_ : does that help?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : a little, I think  
 _phichitchu_ : sorry i cant be there in person to fix you hot cocoa or something  
 _phichitchu_ : but hey  
 _phichitchu_ : isnt that supposed to be your future husbands job now?  
 _phichitchu_ : where is he?  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he’s asleep, I didn’t want to bother him with this  
 _katsukiyuu_ : even though he’s assured me I’m allowed to wake him up if I’m feeling anxious, I’m having a hard time getting myself to do that  
 _katsukiyuu_ : Phichit, could you…?  
 _phichitchu_ : sure thing buddy  
 _phichitchu_ : just wake viktor up ok he will leap at the chance to comfort you  
 _phichitchu_ : dont deprive your hubby of comfort cuddles yuuri  
 _katsukiyuu_ : he’s not my husband yet (≧∇≦;)  
 _katsukiyuu_ : but ok, I will  
 _katsukiyuu_ : thanks Phichit  
 _phichitchu_ : anytime  
 _phichitchu_ : ciao!  
 _katsukiyuu_ : talk to you later

Yuuri took his next gulp of air in slowly, calming what remained of his nerves. Phichit was right, as per usual: Viktor would be upset if he didn’t get the chance to snuggle Yuuri’s worries away. After his phone was placed back on the nightstand, Yuuri turned on his side and inched up behind his fiancé to spoon him. 

“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered, winding an arm around him and lacing their fingers together, “Viktor, wake up.”

After a few grumpy whines, Viktor shifted in Yuuri’s embrace so that he could lie on his back. He pulled Yuuri’s face to his shoulder, and yawned lazily, not even bothering to cover his mouth. “Yuuri,” Viktor slurred, eyes blinking unevenly as he fought to stay awake, “Yuuri, _pupsik_ , what’s wrong?”

Yuuri instantly felt more grounded. He buried his face against Viktor’s skin, reveling in the warmth and incredibly human scent of his lover. Once, Yuuri had been indifferent to showing and receiving affection through physical contact. His family had never been the touchy-feely type, and since Yuuri never doubted that he was loved by them, he never minded the lack of hugs and kisses growing up. In college, Phichit had been shockingly tactile, at least to Yuuri, but over time he came to tolerate and even appreciate it. But it hadn’t been until Viktor and Yuuri had started dating that Yuuri learned the importance of initiating contact. Now he appreciated how important the sense of touch was, how it satisfied a much understated but powerful primal need inside him.

“It’s stupid,” Yuuri murmured against Viktor’s beautifully warm skin, “but I keep having nightmares.”

Viktor made a sympathetic noise in the back of his throat, and began to card his fingers through Yuuri’s hair. It was clear that he was fighting against falling back asleep, his movements fluid and lethargic. “That’s not stupid,” Viktor purred with half-lidded eyes, his accent as thick as molasses, “What about, _lyubov moya_?”

It said a lot about Yuuri’s strength that he didn’t melt into a boneless puddle right then and there. He felt so deeply cherished, and his heart throbbed with love for his fiancé. “About being in those commercials,” Yuuri admitted, “About making a fool of myself.”

“Nonsense, _zolotse_ ,” Viktor replied easily, “They will direct you through the whole process. No one expects you to pull it off on your first take. You’ll do just fine.”

“Mm,” Yuuri hummed. He wanted to argue, but Viktor’s warm breath was tickling his scalp and forehead, making it difficult to concentrate. It took him a few seconds to come up with a retort. “That’s easy for you to say,” he said, “You’re a natural performer. I’ve seen every commercial you’ve been in. Acting comes naturally to you.” In his tired state, Yuuri didn’t fully realize what he admitted to at first.

There was a bit of silence, and Yuuri worried that Viktor had fallen asleep. Then the man shifted beneath him so they could see each other face to face.

“You’ve watched every commercial I’ve ever been in?” Viktor asked in awe. He cupped Yuuri’s chin with a single finger, still seemingly too lazy to commit any further. “Even the earlier ones? Many of them were never translated into any other languages.”

Yuuri felt his cheeks warm, but refused to break eye contact. “You have a huge fanbase,” Yuuri reminded his fiancé, “People added in their own subtitles.”

“You were a part of my fanbase,” Viktor accused Yuuri, as if realizing it for the first time.

Yuuri knew for a fact that this was _not_ the first time Viktor was finding that out. Even if it hadn’t been obvious from the very beginning, everyone around Yuuri loved reminding Viktor of it constantly. Back in Hatsetsu, Takeshi seemingly made it his life goal to tease Yuuri about his teenaged obsession with Viktor whenever the Russian man was in earshot. Then there was Yuuri’s mom, who originally referred to Viktor as “that ice skater you like” in front of him. And if that wasn’t enough, there was the 2016 Banquet, wherein Phichit was the one who ended up drunk, and loudly regaled everyone in the room with tales of their Detroit days. Some of those stories just happened to include the time the two of them stayed up until one in the morning bidding on out-of-print Viktor merch someone had posted online. 

(That was also, incidentally, how Viktor found out about Yuuri’s poster collection. Thanks, drunk Phichit.)

“Yes,” Yuuri admitted with a lazy roll of his eyes, “I was embarrassingly into you years before we ever met in person. You already knew that. The point is that you’re talented at everything you do, so your opinion on how easy or not something is doesn’t count.”

Viktor pressed a series of light kisses to the skin between Yuuri’s eyebrows. “Mm, you aren’t listening to me,” he teased, “I never said it would be easy, just that you’d have time to learn. You’ve proven to the world time and time again that you’re capable of pulling off anything you put your mind to, with enough practice and determination.”

That… was true. Yuuri had never been confident in his natural abilities, but he could admit that he worked hard. It was a point of pride, really. Having to deal with anxiety all his life meant that he _had_ to work harder than everyone else, just to keep up.

Viktor seemed to sense that Yuuri’s fears were ebbing. He pushed their lips together for a chaste kiss, and let his smiling lips linger there for a gentle moment. 

When the kiss ended and Viktor pulled back, his eyes stayed closed. Yuuri watched him, wondering if Viktor was about to fall back asleep. He almost allowed it, but then remembered another thing that had been bothering him. Yuuri purposefully cleared his throat, and tried not to smile too wide when Viktor jerked back awake with a guilty expression.

“Hey,” Yuuri whispered, “This is probably going to seem random, and maybe unnecessarily harsh, but… I decided that I don’t want Katya coming to our wedding.”

Viktor’s forehead wrinkled in confusion, but he didn’t seem angry. “Why not?”

Yuuri bit his lip, and let out a soft sigh. “I think she has feelings for you,” he admitted, trying not to immediately regret doing so. He knew what it sounded like, and cringed at himself.

“What?” Viktor shook his head at the very suggestion. “Yuuri, she’s married.”

“I know that, but… Maybe she had feelings for you in the past, or something.” Yuuri squeezed Viktor’s fingers, hoping it would give him strength to voice his thoughts. It helped that Viktor immediately squeezed his hand back. “This isn’t me being jealous or petty,” Yuuri defended himself quickly, “It’s just… she clearly doesn’t like me, and I don’t want that kind of negativity ruining our… special day.”

“How could she not like you?” Viktor made the idea sound preposterous.

Despite how tense he felt, Yuuri laughed. “Plenty of people don’t like me,” Yuuri said, “And Katya is one of them. Don’t you remember, at the Cup of China? She encouraged you to, and I quote, ‘split up’ with me. And last night she questioned your commitment to me. Maybe she’s mad because she liked you, or because she doesn’t like me. Either way, I don’t feel comfortable having her at our wedding.”

Viktor hummed, clearly unsure on how he wanted to respond. “Katya likes to tease me like that a lot,” he spoke carefully, “but if you’re uncomfortable having her there, we won’t invite her.”

Well, that was a huge weight off Yuuri’s chest. He breathed much easier on the next exhale. “Thank you,” Yuuri whispered, cuddling closer so their bodies were touching chest to toe. At last, the final knot of anxiety in Yuuri’s stomach eased away. All that was left over was the heavy exhaustion tugging at his eyelids. “I think I can go back to sleep now.”

If Viktor said anything else, Yuuri didn’t hear it. He immediately surrendered to sleep, and dreamt of a romantic get-away to a beautiful, secluded tropical island.

\---

Because of the event they attended the night before, Yakov had postponed practice a few hours to allow everyone to sleep in. By the time Yuuri and Viktor arrived at the rink, Yuuri felt well-rested and content, more than he thought he would. It was a nice change, but unfortunately Yuuri’s good luck didn’t last long.

It didn’t take long for everyone to realize that Yurio was in an especially bad mood that day. In fact, it was obvious as soon as he got on the ice.

“Move your fat ass out the way, _buta_ ,” Yurio snarled as he skated past Yuuri.

Yuuri nearly fell out of his sit-spin in his surprise, but quickly caught himself. “What did you say?” Yuuri asked the teenager, shocked and teetering on losing his patience. That wasn’t the first time Yurio had made an unnecessarily mean comment about his weight. 

“I said,” Yurio spat, “stay in your section of the rink.” He kicked at the ice with the toe of his skate, and held Yuuri’s gaze with an intense glare. “I don’t know why you’re even out practicing, anyway. Viktor’s not coaching you right now, so there’s no reason for you to be hogging up the ice. God, this place was claustrophobic enough before you came along; at least have the common decency to take turns with your boyfriend.”

That ticked Yuuri off, though he refused to let it show on his face. “I know the rink gets crowded,” Yuuri said, “and I don’t like it, either, but I won’t just sit on the sidelines and wait until Viktor is done his practice. I need to get as much practice in as I can, too, and you’re just going to have to deal with that like everyone else that shares this space.”

“Ugh, whatever!” Yurio tossed his arms up into the air in frustration. “Do whatever you want without regards to anyone else, that’s fine. Just stop drifting into my area.”

“Your area,” Yuuri repeated, raising an eyebrow before he could stop himself. It was just that Yurio was acting so childish, even more than usual, and Yuuri couldn’t believe it. “Yurio, it’s not like there are lines to tell me exactly where ‘my area’ ends and yours begins. But I am staying in the same relative area where I always skate.”

“Yura, leave him alone.” That was Mila, who had skated over to join the conversation suddenly. “I’m the one who made you look bad in front of Mrs. Petrov. Don’t take it out on him.”

So this was about the sponsorship, Yuuri realized. He watched Yurio react to Mila’s words, an angry red flush exploding across his face.

“Yuuri was the one who stole a second turn with her,” Yurio hissed, glancing between the two of them defensively as though they were ganging up on him. Perhaps, from his point of view, they were. After a moment, Yurio fixed his death glare solely on Mila. “And it’s because everyone coddles him too damn much,” he argued bitterly, “Even Yakov treats him with gentle kid gloves. ‘Don’t yell at Yuuri,’ Viktor said. ‘Yuuri has a fragile heart,’ he said. Well, I’m sick and tired of everyone going easy on him just because Viktor told us to! Now Yuuri probably thinks he’s everyone’s favorite or something, that he gets special privileges. Everyone was supposed to get _one turn_ with Mrs. Petrov. I barely spoke to her—”

A booming, harsh voice cut Yurio’s rant off. “That’s enough!” Yakov yelled across from beyond the wall, loud enough to echo.

Yuuri froze, and saw that Yurio and Mila had stiffened, too.

“Yurochka, get off the ice until you’re done throwing your tantrum,” Yakov commanded, “You’re competing in the senior division now, so you no longer have any excuse for acting so juvenile! Do some sprints outside until you’ve come to your senses.”

“It’s fucking freezing outside,” Yurio balked.

“Well, maybe the cool air will help you cool off,” Yakov said, and he jerked his thumb towards the door to emphasize his point. “Now, Yura.”

By this point, everyone else had stopped practicing in lieu of staring. Across the ice, Viktor looked particularly shocked. Yurio huffed loudly but did as he was instructed, and most of everyone’s heads turned in unison to watch him leave. It was borderline eerie, Yuuri thought to himself, before his mind inevitably backtracked to Yurio’s earlier words. Had Viktor really advised everyone to be nice to him? That wasn’t really a bad thing or anything, but Yuuri had to wonder… were people only being nice to him _because_ Viktor said so?

After a moment of deliberation, Yuuri decided that it didn’t matter, because he was certain that, no matter the initial motivation behind it, Mila and Georgi genuinely liked him now. Speaking of Mila, Yuuri had yet to thank her for attempting to intervene. But she beat him to it.

“Sorry about that,” Mila said to him, “I’m the one he should have been mad at.”

“No, it’s fine,” Yuuri replied, “We both accidentally messed up his chance to talk to Mrs. Petrov one-to-one. And I probably should have just moved when he asked me to move, instead of riling him up further. Is he usually like this when he doesn’t get a sponsorship he wanted?”

Mila touched her chin, thinking back. “Yeah, though usually it’s not this bad,” she answered, “Oh, Yura. He can be such a sore loser. But don’t worry too much. He’ll get over it.”

But ‘not worrying’ wasn’t really a part of who Yuuri was. So instead, Yuuri waited around ten minutes, running through his short program a couple times, before putting his skate guards back on so he could go find and talk to Yurio. 

\---

Yurio was sitting out on the front steps when Yuuri found him. He was typing on his phone, despite how biting the winter air was, and didn’t even notice Yuuri until he sat down beside him.

Immediately, Yurio glowered at him. “What do you want?”

Yuuri buried his fists into his coat pockets, feeling twenty degrees colder just looking at Yurio’s ungloved fingers. “You’re not doing sprints,” Yuuri observed. Without really meaning to, he noticed that Yurio had been in the middle of messaging someone on the IM app. He didn’t catch the username, but he could take a wild guess and assume Yurio was talking to Otabek. 

“No, I’m not,” Yurio sneered, “What, are you going to tattle on me or something?”

“Of course not.” Yuuri paused, willing himself to be as calm as possible. The conversation wouldn’t go anywhere if he started getting defensive again. He looked out at the street, feeling a twinge of homesickness when he saw how congested the traffic was. But then he remembered that this is where Viktor grew up, and smiled fondly. Unlike Yuuri, Viktor didn’t have any living blood relatives that he kept in contact with. This ice rink and its skaters were Viktor’s family. No matter how hard Yurio might protest it, Yuuri knew that Viktor loved Yurio like a brother. And in all honesty, Yuuri felt the same way.

The silence between them was just starting to get awkward when Yuuri tried again. “I wasn’t trying to steal your turn with Mrs. Petrov,” he said, “I was just curious what was taking Viktor so long. I was tired, and I wanted to go home to bed. I’d never sabotage you on purpose.”

“Yeah, I know.” Yurio tucked his phone away, just as his fingers were starting to look a little blue. “I’m just pissed off. I never get the big sponsorships, no matter how hard I try.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but… maybe you’re trying _too_ hard? When you put on an act like you did last night, you come off as insincere. It’s really unnerving, actually. You could have at least warned me you were going to be acting weirdly nice to me at the event, so I could prepare for it.”

The attempt at humor proved fruitful, and Yurio gave an empty-sounding chuckle. “The look on your face was priceless, though,” Yurio admitted, “You looked like you thought I was delirious.”

Yuuri tried to imagine what his expression had looked like, and couldn’t help but chuckle, too.

The wind picked up a bit, stinging Yuuri’s cheeks. But he didn’t suggest they move back inside, even though he wanted to. Instead, he sat next to Yurio in silence, and wondered if hoping for an apology was asking for too much. But then, Yurio surprised him.

“I am sorry,” Yurio said, hunching forward as if opening himself up emotionally caused him pain, “I’m just so sick and tired of no one taking me seriously, as if I’m still a kid. I thought that winning gold at the senior level would reel in the big sponsors left and right, but that hasn’t happened yet. No, it’s the _silver medalist_ that everyone wants.”

Yuuri tried not to take that as an insult. “Yurio,” he replied, “you’re only fifteen, and the Grand Prix only finished a month ago. You are going to have a lot more opportunities. Everyone is already calling you the next Viktor Nikiforov. It’s just a matter of time.”

“I knooow,” Yurio groaned, as if that was the very last thing he wanted to hear. Yuuri waited for him to elaborate, to admit to what was _really_ bothering him.

It took another minute, but at last Yurio gave in. “It’s a force of habit, okay?” Yurio’s voice turned quiet and unusually vulnerable. “Ever since _deda_ retired, I’ve been… the only person in my family making money. My mom hasn’t been able to work since I was a little kid. She’s paralyzed from the shoulders down. She still lives in Moscow, and most of my money is spent covering her expenses.”

The winter air suddenly seemed a whole lot chillier. Yuuri shivered and stared at Yurio, struggling to find an appropriate response to that.

“It’s not like we’re struggling,” Yurio quickly added, scrunching up his shoulders, “I mean, we used to struggle, before I became famous. Back when _deda_ payed for everything. But when you’re used to the fearing what will happen if you run out of money… well, then it’s hard to stop.”

“Yurio…” Yuuri wanted to pull the younger boy in for a hug, but wasn’t sure if Yurio would allow himself to be comforted like that.

Yurio inched further away from Yuuri, as if he could read his mind. He also refused to look up, or pull out of his defensive curl. “So, yeah. Now you’ve unlocked my tragic backstory,” Yurio said, the bite of his sarcasm sharper than usual, “I know it’s stupid. Like I said, we’re not struggling financially. I shouldn’t get so torn up over a stupid sponsorship, especially when I was the one making an ass of myself, pretending to be somebody I’m not.”

“It’s not stupid,” Yuuri assured Yurio. He didn’t know what else to say. His head was spinning from this new information. The visual image of a young, scared Yurio popped in Yuuri’s mind and refused to leave. “So, when you took part in those bets…?”

Yurio snorted and nodded. “Yeah, I thought I was so clever, conning my competitors out of their allowance. You should have seen my mom’s reaction when she found out. God, she didn’t forgive me for weeks. Of course, she was being a huge fucking hypocrite. Turns out she used to gamble all the time, back when she went out and did stuff. And smoke, and drink. Really, she was a total mess of a human being all around.”

Yuuri tried to imagine what Yurio’s mother looked like. “It sounds like the two of you had a complicated relationship,” Yuuri commented weakly, still too stunned to say anything more intelligent than that.

“Yeah, I mean, I still love her.” Yurio’s shoulders inched up higher towards his ears. “Though… I don’t really like her, I still love her. Even though that makes no fucking sense, it’s true. She could be so much worse. It’s not like she ever hurt me, or neglected me, or anything like that. And I am happy to help her out, to send her checks every month. I just have to wonder if she really appreciates it. If she ever truly appreciated how much _deda_ did for her. He basically raised me for her. Not that it’s her fault, either, but… Ugh, I don’t know. It sucks that I have to think about her every time I suck up to sponsors. Everything sucks, just in general.”

This time, Yuuri didn’t hesitate to move close and wind his arm around Yurio. Surprisingly, Yurio didn’t pull away, though he definitely tensed up in surprise at the sudden contact. Yurio didn’t lean into the embrace, but then again, Yuuri didn’t expect him to. They stayed like that for a long, quiet moment.

When Yurio finally pulled away, they were both shivering from the cold.

“Yurio,” Yuuri said, feeling like he had to say something before they went back inside. “I know what it’s like to have emotions that don’t make sense, and that don’t respond to logic. Just know that Viktor and I are here for you. With how talented you are, I doubt you’ll ever struggle financially again. But even if, against all odds, you do find yourself in a position like that again, we will support you. I meant it, when I said you’re our _agape_. You’re a part of our family. And we will never, ever let you or your family go hungry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end!!
> 
> I used what little we canonically know of Yurio's mother chapter to build Yurio's "tragic backstory". Basically, what we know is that 1. Yurio is the sole financial provider in the family (which is a factoid I took from the official character biography), and 2. Yurio likely has a strained relationship with his mom, from what we can see in the flashback when he was a little kid in episode 3. Another factoid of Yurio's mother that didn't make it into this fic: apparently she used to be an idol/singer of some sort, but she retired at a young age. Kubo-sensei compared her to t.A.T.u. I like to imagine that, like many celebrities, Yurio's mother had a very wild lifestyles. (aka drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll)
> 
> I hope I made this chapter emotionally strong without treading too deeply into trite territory. Let me know if the buildup and subsequent resolution of angst worked for you or not.


End file.
